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(BPT) - As people continue to adjust their daily lives in the era of COVID-19, some law enforcement agencies and advocacy groups across the country have raised concerns about the potential for a rise in domestic violence incidents. An issue that could lead to even more people requiring servi…

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• At least 1 in 4 federally licensed nursing homes in Pima County have reported deaths from the coronavirus, while more than half have had at least one case among residents and staff workers, according to data released this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In Pima County, eight facilities reported a total of 38 deaths among residents, while 15 facilities reported at least 152 confirmed cases of the virus among both staff workers and residents, according to the data. That total includes 15 resident deaths at Handmaker, an assisted-living and skilled-nursing facility in midtown Tucson.

• Low-cost Allegiant Air has included Tucson on a list of cities it could stop serving under requirements for airlines that received federal aid to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. But Allegiant went ahead with plans Friday to launch a twice-weekly seasonal nonstop flight from Tucson to Las Vegas, and is maintaining service between Tucson and Provo, Utah. Tucson International Airport is seeing its passenger counts rise faster than elsewhere and expects several suspended flights to return in mid- to late-summer.

6:45 a.m.: Nearly 1.9 million people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, the ninth straight decline since applications spiked in mid-March at the start of shutdowns and restrictions across the country related to the coronavirus pandemic. The new data on unemployment filing could be a sign the gradual reopening of businesses has slowed the loss of jobs, the Associated Press reported Thursday morning. Passengers, employees and visitors to Tucson International Airport will be required to wear masks starting Saturday. Casino del Sol opened its doors Wednesday and Desert Diamond Casinos showed what it's doing in terms of cleaning and operating procedures as it too prepares to re-open after weeks of a shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 22,200, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday in its daily tally. The state said 981 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,627 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 196 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 345,044 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.8% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Thursday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• Join the Star Opinion Reader Chat today to talk about topics that include protests over police brutality and killings of African American people, institutional racism, unemployment and the ever-present concerns about COVID-19 ramping up from the public gatherings. The chat begins at 2 p.m. Email Opinion editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen at sgassen@tucson.com for the invitation and meeting link.

6:45 a.m.: The number of Arizonans hospitalized with positive or suspected cases of COVID-19 shot past 1,000 on Monday. The spike prompted the state's former health chief to questions whether Gov. Doug Ducey should have ended the state's stay-at-home order. There's been a steady upward trend since the Department of Health Services began tracking the numbers in early April. It also follows the setting of another record last week, with 635 positive cases reported from tests conducted on May 26. Amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, TUSD has canceled plans for an in-person graduation event later this month. The district said the Pima County Health Department could not support an in-person graduation at the end of June despite the precautions the district was planning. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 21,250, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Tuesday in its daily tally. The state said 941 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,496 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 191 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 336,589 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.7% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• Join the Star Opinion Reader Chat to talk about topics that include protests over police brutality and killings of African American people, institutional racism, unemployment and the ever-present concerns about COVID-19 ramping up from the public gatherings. The chat begins at 2 p.m. Thursday. Email Opinion editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen at sgassen@tucson.com for the invitation and meeting link.

7:00 a.m.: While acknowledging that it's virtually impossible to guarantee a risk-free environment, Arizona's top education official on Monday issued guidelines schools districts can use as they prepare to reopen. The 41-page 'road map' released Monday by Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman provides a series of options for local school districts to consider as they figure out the best course of action going forward for Arizona's 1 million schoolchildren and more than 2,000 school buildings. Pima County is moving forward with a plan to improve its contact tracing efforts to fight the spread if the coronavirus. It will add 127 full-time employees to assist in COVID-19 investigations. The cost of the expanded contact tracing effort is expected to be reimbursed through federal emergency funding, officials say. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona is 20,123, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Monday in its daily tally. The state said 917 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County 2,382 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 185 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. No new deaths were reported in Pima County today. There have been 321,926 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.6% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Gov. Doug Ducey on Sunday afternoon issued an unexpected statewide emergency order that mandated an 8 p.m. curfew. The week-long order, Ducey said on Twitter, is needed due to the "lawlessness" shown at police protests that started Friday night in cities like Tucson and Phoenix. There are several exceptions and loopholes. In Tucson, the curfew order will be used to target criminal behavior in areas where sometimes violent protests occurred over the weekend around downtown, along North Fourth Avenue and near the University of Arizona campus, Mayor Regina Romero said Sunday. The mayor said neither she nor Police Chief Chris Magnus were given advance notice of the curfew order by Ducey's office, which had said earlier Sunday that the order was made after consulting with local leaders across the state. Looting at a mall in Scottsdale Saturday seems to have been the incident that grabbed Ducey's attention. Later today, the state schools superintendent is expected to issue guidelines Arizona schools can follow to reopen. The guidelines will come about a week after Ducey said classrooms in the state will resume foe the fall semester. Tucson Unified School District is considering flexible learning options and new safety precautions amid concerns about returning to schools during the pandemic. A new poll shows that only a slight majority of Arizonans are ready to send their kids back to school. Just 52% of those questioned said they would allow children to go back to school, even though the governor allowed his stay-home order to expire earlier this month. In fact, the findings by HighGround, a political consulting firm, found that 29.5% said they would definitely permit kids to go to school, with the balance of that 52% in the 'probably yes' category. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona is 19,936, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Sunday in its daily tally. The state said 906 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,368 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 185 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 318,573 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.6% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Monday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Evictions hearings in Tucson are set to resume Monday. With nearly 600 hearings scheduled over the next few weeks, it marks the end to a reprieve for most renters brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. People facing eviction due to COVID-19 hardships, which include financial and health-related issues, can ask the judge for a temporary reprieve based on Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's March 24 executive order. But advocates say more needs to be done by the state to avoid a wave of debt to new debt and a spike in homelessness. Poverty — along with age and pre-existing medical conditions — is a leading risk factor for people to be affected the most by the coronavirus outbreak, a new report by the Pima County Health Department confirms. "Our health department fully recognizes the uneven medical and social vulnerability of segments of our community and is pledged to continue to address these unique needs," County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said in a preface to the report, which was sent to the county Board of Supervisors. The report shows that 80% of deaths in Pima County related to COVID-19 were were people 65 years old or older. And those who died largely had one or more preexisting conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, kidney disease or lung disease. A week ago, it appeared that new cases of COVID-19 in Arizona may have peaked. But an unexpected reporting lag backfilled enough new cases this week that it turns out there was no dip between May 10 and May 17 and any previous week's total. 'So what looked to be like a peak is no longer a peak, and the case counts continue to trend up,' said Dr. Joe Gerald, an associate professor with the University of Arizona's Zuckerman College of Public Health. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona is 19,255, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Saturday in its daily tally. The state said 903 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County 2,290 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 185 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 307,715 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.6% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Sunday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Tucson United Parcel Service distribution facility is more widespread than first thought, union leaders say. The number of employees who tested positive rose to 43 cases from 36 cases after additional testing last weekend, Teamster Local 104 said in a news release. The union has called for the facility to temporarily shut down to protect employees from exposure to the coronavirus. Pima County's nine major school districts will receive nearly $31 million in federal coronavirus relief funds, the Arizona Department of Education said Friday. The money is distributed to school districts based on their percentage of low-income children. Tucson's largest school district, TUSD, is receiving nearly $18.6 million. Tucson-area voters are being reminded that voting by mail is a safe option after President Trump said last week — without evidence — that mail-in voting leads to election fraud. Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez is providing information about joining the permanent early voting list to receive a ballot in the mail. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 18,465, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Friday in its daily tally. The state said 885 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,234 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 185 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 297,495 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.6% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments related to the coronavirus pandemic from Saturday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: Arizona schools can reopen in August, summer day camps can open as early as next week and youth sports can restart immediately, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced Thursday afternoon. Summer schools — and schools that operate on a year-round basis — can open in June if ready to follow new guidelines, Ducey said. The governor's announcement comes as Arizona is still in what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls Phase 1. That is the earliest stage of reopening both the economy and public activity, which requires social distancing and limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people. Some details of how this all will work will come next week, Ducey said. Meanwhile, as stores reopen throughout Arizona following coronavirus restrictions, Macy's at Park Place mall is closing for good. A liquidation sale is underway. Macy's had said earlier this year that it would close about 125 stores across the country after years of struggling with slowing in-store sales. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 17,763, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Thursday in its daily tally. The state said 857 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,167 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 186 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 287,605 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.5% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Friday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday allocated $441 million in federal funding to help Arizona cities and counties deal with budget issues stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. That's about a quarter of the more than $1.9 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding Ducey can spend at his discretion. Ducey said he's holding on to most of the money for future needs, including the possibility of having to replenish Arizona's unemployment insurance trust fund. Earlier this week the state reported that more than 600,000 unemployment claims have been filed in Arizona during coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, the Associated Press on Thursday reported that an estimated 2.1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country. That brings the nation's running unemployment total since the coronavirus shutdowns took hold in mid-March to about 41 million. At a news conference later today, Ducey is expected to give an update on the state's efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. He provided no details Wednesday, but told reporters that the news will be "good." Confirmed coronavirus cases in the state reached 17,262, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday in its daily tally. The state said 831 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,119 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 175 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 279,550 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 5.5% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Thursday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: University of Arizona researcher Jun Wang recently identified four compounds that can block the replication of the coronavirus within a cell, a promising starting point for the development of drugs that can treat the disease. Wang, an assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the UA, has spent much of his career studying respiratory viruses, including influenza A and B, and has directed his research toward developing antivirals that reduce the ability of a virus to spread. Meanwhile the UA is continuing with its student-housing applications for the fall semester despite the lack of a final decision about the rules regarding living arrangements. Whatever the final housing rules are, UA officials expect it will be more expensive. State lawmakers on Tuesday ended the legislative session without resolving whether businesses should get special protection from COVID-19 lawsuits. The surprise move came as three Republicans joined with all 13 Democrats to halt all further business and go home. Democrats had objected to lawmakers dealing with routine business while pandemic-related issues were left unresolved, including the question of aid to what may now be 600,000 Arizonans who have lost their jobs. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona neared 16,800 on Tuesday, according to new state figures. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 16,783, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Tuesday in its daily tally. The state said 807 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,075 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 173 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Wednesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:15 a.m.: Nearly 25,000 more Arizonans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total since the COVID-19 outbreak to 601,518, new state figures Monday showed. The total unemployment filings amount to about 17 percent of Arizona's workforce and might not reflect all of the people in the state who are out of work. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 16,561 cases on Monday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in its daily tally. The state said 806 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 2,046 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 173 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Tucson Electric Power says residential use soared by 7 percent from mid-March to mid-April, the first month of the coronavirus pandemic. However, commercial and industrial use more than offset that by dropping 10 percent compared with the same period in 2019, TEP says. Tucson casinos are planning to reopen next week, more than two months after closing due to the coronavirus. Visitors should expect changes to help fight the spread of COVID-19. Here are the latest developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: A labor union is calling on United Parcel Service to temporarily close its distribution facility on Tucson's south side because of an outbreak of coronavirus. Teamster Local Union 104, believes at least 36 employees have tested positive for COVID-19, three of which were admitted to intensive care facilities, the organization said in a news release. “UPS workers at the facility are also concerned that the outbreak has transformed the distribution facility into a hub for spreading the virus through Arizona,” the union said.

6:30 a.m.: New coronavirus cases in Arizona "could maybe possibly" have peaked, data suggests. The number of weekly coronavirus cases decreased from one week to the next for the first time in mid-May, But increases in diagnostic testing slowed that same week, so it's too early to say if that led to fewer diagnoses or if infections actually are going down, experts say. For Pima County, the numbers indicate much more clearly that new cases peaked around mid-April. These numbers are part of a new weekly series of charts the Star is producing that track weekly coronavirus spread statewide and locally.

2 p.m.: A conservative PR firm landed University of Arizona president Robert Robbins on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC to help spread the message about the school's effort to re-open for classes in the fall. The agreement has irked some UA faculty members.

6:30 a.m.:Tucson's theater scene faces an "existential crisis" because of COVID-19 that many many not survive.Tucson arts presenters and independent venues have been having hard conversations about how and when to reopen their doors and put artists on their stages. But with the need for capacity restrictions andthe dire state of touring, some see an unsustainable situation.'Everyone was talking about the restaurants, but the live event industry is taking it on the chin big time,' said Tucson Convention Center General Manager Glenn Grabski.

• Fitz imagines his commencement address to the Tortilita Titans and their marching-in-place band. "The future is in your hands, class of 2020. With that in mind I want to remind you to be sure to wash your hands after handling the future. Also, scrub the future thoroughly with disinfectant. Set the future aside for at least three days before handling it again. Class of 2020, avoid mosh pits until 2025. Don’t drink bleach. Wear sunscreen. Wear sanitizer over your sunscreen. Titans, follow your passion. At a distance of 6 feet."

6:30 a.m.: The number of those tested locally during last weekend’s statewide testing blitz doubled from the week prior, as nearly 1,500 people received coronavirus diagnostic tests at 14 sites around Pima County last Saturday. The county said last week that it could provide more than 3,000 tests at its locations. Eligibility to participate differs at each site, but health officials said anybody who thinks they’ve been exposed, either by showing symptoms or by being in proximity to someone with the virus, can receive a test. Here is a list of the locations participating, as of Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, Arizona’s jobless rate spiked to a potentially record high of 12.6% last month.

• Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega apologized to city employees after he was caught on a “hot mic” disparaging concerns about paying for parking spots they’re not using while a large chunk of them are working from home. Read more in today's Political Notebook.

6:30 a.m.: Gov. Doug Ducey said he will not rescind his order that prevents Arizonans from using a drug in the experimental way President Trump is during the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue arose as the president said Monday he had started taking hydroxychloroquine. And the White House on Wednesday confirmed that Trump’s personal physician prescribed it to him as a preventive measure. That prescription could not be filled here in Arizona.

Customers would still be able to sue should the measure pass, but to prevail they would have to prove gross negligence on the part of the business, which means not only that the business didn't act to prevent the spread of the disease, but it did so with reckless disregard of the consequences.

6:15 a.m.: Today is graduation day at the University of Arizona - and for the first time, all the festivities will be digital, not live. No word yet on whether tortillas will still be tossed like graduation caps, but we'll be watching. Also, Pima County will reconsider its temporary health codes aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 after pushback from lawmakers. On Wednesday, the board voted 3-2 to adopt regulations for restaurants, pools, gyms and other facilities that includes occupancy limitations, protective-equipment requirements, social-distancing protocols, daily temperature checks and the public display of signage and cleaning logs. The move followed Gov. Doug Ducey’s announcement that Arizona’s stay-home order was going to be allowed to expire, and some lawmakers say it flies in the face of Ducey’s executive order forbiding counties, cities and towns from making rules and regulations inconsistent with those issued by the governor.

6:30 a.m.: As retail sales in the United States tumbled by a record 16.4% from March to April during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Doug Ducey told Arizona business owners that their ability to remain open — and the future of the state's economy — will depend on how well they follow the voluntary protocols designed to prevent a COVID-19 spike. 'I think you have a patriotic duty to open up safely and successfully," Ducey said in a conference call Thursday. "I know what you're doing is what's going to bring our economy back." And he went on to say that "positive peer pressure" is needed to avoid spreading the disease among customers. Meanwhile, theater operators in Arizona say they're not likely to reopen until summer, when studios have new content to show on their screens. On Thursday, the Arizona Department of Health Services released guidelines for how theaters should operate, covering everything from seating to butter dispensers for popcorn. Arizona Wildcats Athletic Director Dave Heeke on Thursday said he expects the 2020 college football season will happen in some fashion. A team is "evaluating and planning for the safe and healthy return of students, staff and visitors to our campus" he said. Ultimately, however, the decision on if and how football returns will be made by the NCAA, Pac-12 Conference, government agencies and health and science experts, he said. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona were at 12,674, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Thursday morning in its daily tally. The state said 624 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,696 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 152 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department.

There have been 175,455 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 6.3% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Friday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• "I empathize with the high school and college graduates who are also missing out on a monumental rite of passage during this pandemic," Kristen Hoggatt-Abader, a lecturer in the UA Writing Program, writes to the Class of 2020.

6:45 a.m.: Some fitness centers across Tucson jumped at the chance to reopen after Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday eased statewide restrictions related to the cornovirus outbreak that allowed them to operate with some modifications. A few gyms opened early Wednesday morning while others set a timetable to do so later this month. On Wednesday, after many gyms and restaurants had already reopened, a set of temporary health-code regulations for them and other facilities was approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. The county says its measures are intended to help protect employees and customers from COVID-19. Also on Wednesday, Casino del Sol announced it expects to reopen at 8 a.m. May 21. Visitors will see several new safety measures. Those include fewer slot machines, disposing of playing cards at the end of each day and having the HVAC system replace the casino's air with outside air every 45 minutes. Confirmed coronavirus cases in the state has reached 12,176, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday morning in its daily tally. The state said 594 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,661 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 144 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. There have been 165,810 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with 6.4% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Thursday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Pools, spas, gyms and fitness centers — those that are public or in hotels and apartment complexes — can reopen as early as today, Gov. Ducey announced Tuesday afternoon in a news conference. He also said the state's stay-home order will expire early Saturday. And Ducey put out the welcome mat for professional sports to resume in the state, but without fans for now. One key figure the governor is using to support his decisions is a decline in the percentage of tests for the virus coming back positive. At one point the rate was about 10 percent; the most recent figure was at 5 percent, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona was 11,736, the department said Tuesday morning in its daily tally. The state said 562 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County 1,623 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. The county Board of Supervisors today is expected to vote on new health guidelines that could affect how restaurants, pools and gyms operate during the coronavirus pandemic. Tim Steller, the Star's Metro columnist, says despite a push by County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, employees should not be rushed back to their offices. Meanwhile, Tucson has been named among the top 10 big cities best positioned to thrive following the pandemic. A report from Moody's Analytics considers factors like population density and a community's share of jobs requiring a college or graduate degrees. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Wednesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Nearly two months after Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-home order forced restaurants across Arizona to convert to take-out service, eateries across Tucson reopened their doors Monday. Business was mostly light on the first day dine-in was available again, but owners said they were happy to be back at work. "Today was finally a breath of fresh air, to put on Dean Martin and say, 'All right, let's get back to it,''' said Michael Elefante, the chef at Mama Louisa's. Meanwhile, as many restaurants were preparing for their first day under relaxed state rules for operating, Pima County issued a list of 17 protective measures it says eateries should adopt during the pandemic. The county said the measures are intended to protect food service employees and customers as much as possible. Meanwhile, dozens of restaurants joined a campaign saying the number of known coronavirus cases in the state show it's too soon in the fight against the pandemic to reopen on-site dining. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona is 11,380, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Monday morning in its daily tally. The state said 542 people in Arizona are known to have died from COVID-19. In Pima County 1,602 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 134 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Despite cutbacks in the number of vehicles on our roads due to the coronavirus shutdowns, Pima County's air exceeded the ozone standard from Saguaro National Park East up to the far northwest side last week. Tucson's setback Tuesday marked the first time air climbed above the federal standard regulating ozone levels in 2020. And some of the blame — among other factors — falls on our hotter-than-usual weather and smoggier air blowing down from the Phoenix area, a National Weather Service forecaster here said.

Yaqui and the Tohono O'odham leaders each took similar steps as most city, county and state governments in implementing activity restrictions to limit the coronavirus spread. But they also passed executive orders that included additional requirements, like curfews, to try to keep tribal members safe during the virus outbreak. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 11,119, state Department of Health Services said Sunday in its daily tally. Here are news developments from Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Monday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• As Tucsonans living in poverty continue to be left behind as the community continues to rely on online access for daily living, it's time to push for digital equality, 18 nonprofit CEOs in Tucson write in a guest opinion today.

6:30 a.m.: On this Mother's Day, many Tucson moms who work in health care find themselves on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic while worry about exposing their families to the disease. "It's emotionally draining to do all these things and do everything you can to help someone, but also at the same time, be a little bit fearful for yourself and your family," says Esther Kim, medical director of the ICU at Northwest Medical Center.

Lauren Brown and Rebekah Oosterbaan talk nearly every, day but they have never met in person. Most days the Tucson moms are busy discussing the production and distribution of fabric masks to health-care workers and others on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. They talk about organizing the 75 volunteers they have recruited to make the effort happen and securing business sponsorships, which thus far include software maker Intuit, Goodwill Industries, fabric.com, Offray Ribbon, Bulldog Ink and Legacy Traditional School, where their children attend. In a few weeks, the pair has had more than 700 cloth masks made and distributed to places like Banner Health, Tucson Medical Center, El Rio Health and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 10,960, the state Department of Health Services said Saturday morning in its daily tally. The state said 532 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County 1,554 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 133 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Sunday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: DIY 'coronacuts" came to and end across Tucson Friday as barbers and stylists reopened. Both employees and clients wore face masks in shops with new safety procedures and social distancing rules to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. Ducey specifically allowed restaurants across the state to reopen on Monday, but breweries and wineries successfully lobbied to do so too. The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild said breweries and wineries were no different than restaurants. That means Arizona's bars, in theory, also can open so long as they have a menu of food and customers can dine in their establishments. A food truck nearby counts. Further, a state liquor official says technically, bars and alcohol-centric businesses were never excluded from Gov. Doug Ducey's May 4 executive order calling for reopening some businesses. "The order applies to all establishments that provide dine-in service and does not differentiate by license type," said Jeffery Trillo, assistant director of the State Department of Liquor Licenses and Control's Licensing and Administration Division. Tucson Premium Outlets, the open-air mall north of the city, became the first here to reopen Friday. It did so with new store occupancy limits and hand-sanitizing stations. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 10,526, the state Department of Health Services said Friday morning in its daily tally. The state said 517 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,520 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 131 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area. Friday's tally showed a spike in fatalities, with 67 new deaths being reported. However, the state noted that it reviewed death certificates, noting that "35 of the 67 new deaths reported today are from death certificate surveillance dating as far back as the week of April 12." There have been 119,907 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with about 7.4% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state said Friday. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Saturday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: With the U.S. unemployment reaching 14.7% in April — the highest rate since the Great Depression — more Tucson businesses are reopening today under Gov. Ducey's relaxed activity restrictions due to the coronavirus outbreak. Hair salons and barber shops can open beginning today and restaurants follow on Monday, under the state's new guidelines. After growing criticism, the state reversed a decision earlier this week to pause the work of an Arizona team modeling the spread of the coronavirus. On Thursday the Arizona Department of Health Services announced it has established 'an ongoing partnership' with those university experts to continue providing their predictions. The group, in a model late last month, said reopening Arizona's economy at the end of May was the only way to avoid a rise in COVID-19 cases. Confirmed coronavirus cases has reached 9,945, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Thursday morning in its daily tally. The state said 450 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,465 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 118 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area. There have been 111,086 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with about 7.6% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says.

A plan to finally pull the plug on the 2020 legislative session due to the virus pandemic is now up in the air. Senate President Karen Fann said Thursday she has more than enough votes among Republican and Democratic lawmakers to formally wrap up the session that has been in recess since March 23. But the plan changed late Thursday and the status of the session is now up in the air. Fann and other lawmakers say safety during the virus outbreak means the session should end, but other lawmakers say there's too much left to do. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Friday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: A team of scientists from the University of Arizona and ASU who were tasked with predicting the spread of the coronavirus under different scenarios to help Gov. Ducey and other leaders decide when to reopen the state has been disbanded. The move comes as Ducey eases social distancing orders allowing hair salons and restaurants to reopen, though with some restrictions. The group's most-recent model — released April 20 — showed that reopening Arizona at the end of May was the only scenario that didn't dramatically increase COVID-19 cases here. Arizona officials say they will instead rely on federal guidelines rather than local experts for modeling the virus spread. Those FEMA guidelines, however, are not shared with the public. After questions about the disbanding the group, Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ told the Arizona Republic the modeling team 'wasn't disbanded' but rather was asked 'to take a pause for a little bit.' Also seeking a pause is a new campuswide coalition of UA grad students and professors who say the school's furlough planning process has not been transparent in its decision-making or implementation. They say the UA cost-cutting plan should shift more of the burden to employees making more than $150,000 a year and an independent audit is needed to see if alternative spending cuts can be made to save money. A memo from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry this week included bars as businesses that can reopen Monday. Dr. Francisco Garcia, the deputy county administrator and county's chief medical officer, later said that was a mistake. "There is no way to social distance from the bartender to the customer sitting at the bar," Garcia said. Confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 9,707, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday morning in its daily tally. The state said 426 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County 1,425 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 116 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Thursday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• Arizona needs to join other states in regulating the home-care industry, writes Judith B. Clinco, a registered nurse who is founder of Catalina In-Home Services Inc. and the CareGiver Training Institute.

6:45 a.m.: The majority of Pima County's COVID-19-related deaths continue to come from long-term-care facilities. During the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said that of the 16 additional deaths reported in the county that day, 14 of them occurred in skilled nursing facilities. Pima County has 14 long-term-care facilities and 13 assisted-living facilities with confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. As of April 23, more than half of the county's COVID-19 deaths had occurred in nursing homes. The refusal of the Arizona Department of Health Services to tell the public how many residents of individual nursing homes are becoming ill with COVID-19 has prompted a lawsuit by several Phoenix-based news organizations. State health officials are releasing only information about the number of facilities in each county where the virus has appeared. The state claims additional information would be a breach of personal information.

But attorney David Bodney, representing the plaintiffs, pointed out that none of the records requested by news organizations seek information about individuals. And he said state health officials could redact specific information if, somehow, identifying a specific nursing home or other institution might lead someone to learn an individual's identity. Meanwhile, Tucsonans now have additional coronavirus antibody testing available to them through the University of Arizona. Antibody blood testing does not identify whether a person has COVID-19. Instead it detects if a person has antibodies that develop seven to 10 days after the virus has passed. UA researchers believe that a positive antibody test provides some degree of immunity, but more data is needed to determine for how long and how much protection is given against the coronavirus. There have been 88,260 coronavirus tests given across Arizona, with about 8% of them showing positive for COVID-19, the state says. Confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 9,305, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Tuesday morning in its daily tally. The state said 395 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,379 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, and there have been 105 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Wednesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

9:00 a.m.: Confirmed coronavirus cases topped 9,300 on Tuesday, according to new state figures. The state said 395 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19, up from 362 reported Sunday. There were 33 new deaths reported today. Across Pima County, 1,379 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 33 cases from the day before.

6:45 a.m.: Arizona's barber shops and beauty salons can get back to work Friday, and restaurants can reopen their dining room on Monday, under new coronavirus guidelines Gov. Doug Ducey has announced. But there will be restrictions, including limits on capacity, physical distancing and wearing masks. And depending on the size of the business, appointments might be required. Ducey said he intends to allow other businesses like gyms and tattoo shops to reopen soon too, but he did not release a timeline for that to happen. His announcement came hours after the latest Arizona COVID-19 data showed 279 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths Monday morning. There are 8,919 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 362 deaths across the state, the Arizona Health Services Department reported Monday in its daily tally. In Pima County 1,346 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, up 20 cases from the day before. There have been 89 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Ducey said Monday his decision to relax his emergency order to let more businesses in the state reopen was based on health data, not the increasing pressure among some state Republicans to reopen Arizona's economy. Ducey's announcement comes as another 43,087 Arizonans applied this past week for unemployment benefits. That brings the total number of people who have lost their jobs in the wake of the pandemic and the executive orders shutting down parts of Arizona's economy to more than 513,000 people. Meanwhile Tucson's City Council today will discuss what to do with a city budget hit hard by added expenses and a loss of revenue due to the coronavirus outbreak. City Manager Michael Ortega has asked department heads to submit plans to cut their budgets 1% a month through June 2021, as well as analyses of what an overall 15% cut to their departments could look like should the economy continue to falter. Those cuts ranged from limitations in travel and training, to eliminating vacant positions and leaving posts unfilled after retirements — as well as layoffs or furloughs — according to documents prepared for today's meeting. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: Tucson has received $95 million in federal funding to help cover expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic. But officials say limits on how the money can spent can get complicated. The funding cannot be used for revenue replacement, only for coronavirus-related expenditures incurred by the city. That includes expenses like acquiring medical and protective supplies; improving telework capabilities for employees; providing paid sick and family leave to employees; and caring for homeless individuals, according to a memo sent to Tucson City Council members this month that was obtained by the Star. Nearly two dozen Tucson police officers have volunteered to deliver meals to the city's vulnerable adults during the pandemic. Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona lost about 40% of its volunteer drivers during the coronavirus outbreak. The state has stepped in to give a $3.6 million boost to the only hospital in Green Valley, which says the virus pandemic has added to it financial woes. Confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 8,640, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Sunday morning in its daily tally. The state said 362 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. Across Pima County, 1,326 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 89 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Monday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: On Monday Arizona joins other states in loosening restrictions on businesses and other daily activities intended to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. Those decisions in Arizona, however, are being made as the number of COVID-19 cases are widely undercounted, infectious disease experts say. Reported cases by local and state health officials don't reflect the true number of infections in the community. "We're probably missing 90% to 95% of cases currently with the amount of testing that's going on," says Michael Worobey, an infectious disease expert who heads the University of Arizona's department of ecology and evolutionary biology. It will be difficult to reopen society so long as there's a dearth of testing, said Dr. Joe Gerald, an associate professor with the UA's Zuckerman College of Public Health. "I don't think there's any evidence that we actually have sufficient testing," he said, adding that the number of daily tests has hovered around 2,000 for the last several weeks. "That just doesn't seem near enough." Arizona has launched a "testing blitz" over the next three weekends. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 8,364, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Saturday morning in its daily tally. The state says 348 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. Across Pima County, 1,300 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 89 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Adair Funeral Homes temporarily closed its Dodge Chapel after 'a number' of staff members fell ill and were sent home to recover in self-quarantine, according to a written statement from the company. The incident highlights lingering questions about how the virus is transmitted, and it underscores the essential work still being done by so-called 'last responders' in the Tucson's morgues and mortuaries. "They really are heroes, but they don't get the recognition they deserve, because it's death and nobody wants to talk about that," said Judith Stapley, executive director of the Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers. Tucson families with children in the hospital face unbearable isolation during changes prompted by the coronavirus outbreak. For example, only one parent or caregiver can be with a child at a time, and no other visitors are allowed. And there are no more volunteer therapists who often help comfort children with a massage or help getting a child to sleep. That's why now, after weeks of not being able to go into the hospital, Integrative Touch for Kids is launching Telehealth Programs, which will provide families and children with online therapy, support and touch-training, as well as friendship connections. Tucson children 10 and older who wish to volunteer will be paired online with a child who has special health or medical needs. Tucson-area school districts acknowledge that some kids have gone missing in action during school closures ordered during the coronavirus pandemic. There's no exact count of how many kids are MIA or disengaged in remote learning. Districts say they are just now working to track that data. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Sunday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

Violating local stay-home orders due to coronavirus outbreak is a misdemeanor offense, but an Arizona Daily Star survey of Pima County municipalities found that not a single citation has been issued under those orders. That's because education rather than citations is the preferred method to deal with people violating social distancing and other emergency order mandates, officials say. Orders limiting activities to fight the spread of COVID-19 forced the closure of schools across Arizona last month, but Tucson Unified School District announced late Friday that it plans to hold in-person graduation ceremonies in June. Televised ceremonies for individual high schools will be held later this month. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 7,962 on Friday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in its daily tally. The state said 330 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,267 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 81 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Saturday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star.

6:45 a.m.: Tucson diners should expect big changes at restaurants under new state guidelines that could allow them to reopen dining rooms. For example, everyone from the person who seats you to the waiters and the kitchen staff will be wearing masks and gloves. And fewer tables will be available to limit the number of diners. Such social-distancing limits, however, aren't required at churches or political rallies under the new coronavirus guidelines issued this week by Gov. Doug Ducey. Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Thursday that Arizonans who assemble to worship or protest don't have to keep six feet apart. That's because Ducey's order specifically permits people to engage in 'constitutionally protected activity,' including religion and speech, Brnvocich says. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona hit 7,648 on Thursday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in its daily tally. The state says 320 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. Across Pima County, 1,241 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 80 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area. A new video produced by the Pima County Health Department illustrates the spread of COVID-19 across metro Tucson over the last two months. The video posted to the Pima County Health Department's Facebook page this week uses red dots on a map showing the general location of positive cases in Pima County over time. As each cases ages beyond 15 days, a red dot falls off the map to show the cases that are no longer infectious. New red dots surface on the map as quickly as others disappear. University of Arizona President Robert Robbins says the campus will be reopened this fall and that in-person classes will resume. However, Robbins noted some classes will be smaller, students might need to wear masks and the UA will be ready to quickly revert to online courses if the coronavirus spreads again. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Friday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday extended his his stay-at-home order into May after saying there's no data from the state Department of Health Services to show the state has beaten back the COVID-19 outbreak enough to allow it to expire as scheduled Thursday night. "There is not a trend," Ducey said during a news conference announcing the order extension. Still, Ducey went on to say he does feel comfortable enough with the pandemic rates in the state to allow some retail businesses to open their doors — gradually. Effective Monday, businesses not listed as 'essential' under his emergency order will be able to sell items out the front door. That includes retailers for everything from furniture stores and jewelers to beauty salons that will be able to offer products for drive-up pickup and delivery. Ducey said his decisions to continue his stay-at-home order rather than allow Arizona businesses to operate as usual should not have been a surprise. "I don't think anybody ever believed that on May 1 we would have a return to normalcy in Arizona," he said. Confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 7,202, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Wednesday morning in its daily tally. The state said 304 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,215 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed as of Wednesday. There have been 80 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department. Here are news developments from Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Thursday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: 52,350 more Arizonans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total number of workers in the state who have sought help during the coronavirus pandemic to more than 470,000 people. That's about 13% of the state's workforce of nearly 3.6 million people, a state record. The economic picture in Arizona and across the US is expected to get bleaker in the GDP report to come on the current April-June period, during the peak of virus-related shutdowns and layoffs. The newest numbers from the Commerce Department show the gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — posted a quarterly drop for the first time in six years, the Associated Press reports. It was the sharpest fall since the economy shrank at an 8.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2008 in the depths of the Great Recession. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that GDP will plunge this quarter at a 40% annual rate, the AP reports. That would be the bleakest quarter since such records were first compiled in 1947. It would be four times the size of the worst quarterly contraction on record set in 1958, the AP says. In Pima County, Administrator Chuck Huckelberry and Supervisors Chairman Ramon Valdez say they expect increasing public pressure to quickly reopen closed or restricted businesses here quickly. "But we pledge that public health data and health-care infrastructure will drive our decisions," they write in a guest opinion today discussing a task force created to help decide the best way to reopen the local economy. "Some communities may open more quickly than ours, and, conversely, we may outpace others. It's all a matter of the data and the facts," the pair say. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 6,948 on Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said. The state said 293 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County there were 1,188 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 78 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area as of Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tucson Medical Center has found a way to use its 30 patios and mostly ground-level rooms to allow family visits, from outside and through the window. And a new video produced by NüPOINT, a marketing agency in Tucson, shows empty parking lots, people walking wearing face masks, an emptier than usual downtown and Fourth Avenue as it encourages Tucsonans to stay resilient in the face of the pandemic. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus outbreak from Wednesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

7:30 a.m.: Saguaro National Park puts fire restrictions in place to protect public lands and resources during the coronavirus pandemic.

6:30 a.m.: A 'blitz' to test up to 60,000 Arizonans for COVID-19 in the next three weekends was announced Monday by Gov. Doug Ducey. The goal: test 10,000 to 20,000 people in the state each Saturday, beginning May 2. The testing push comes as Ducey has to decide whether his executive orders limiting individual and business activity due to the coronavirus pandemic should continue beyond April 30, the day they are set to expire. Tucson Unified School District says it's facing about $8.5 million in added expenses due to the virus outbreak closures. Meanwhile, both the University of Arizona and Pima Community College say big graduation ceremonies will be replaced this year with live-streaming events. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 6,716 on Monday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in its daily tally. The state said there were no new deaths to add to the 275 people in Arizona known to have died from COVID-19. Across Pima County, 1,164 cases of coronavirus were confirmed Monday. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• Tucson Collaborative Community Care — known as TC-3 — is a group of community partners dedicated to reducing reliance on the emergency medical system. It has been offering expanded services during the pandemic to its clients, like food, medication and wellness checks.

6:30 a.m.: Forced at-home learning due to the coronavirus pandemic has forced school districts across Tucson to make a huge effort to narrow the digital divide among students. For example, Tucson Unified School District invested $3.5 million in Chromebooks, emptied empty schools of laptops and tablets to distribute to kids and walked many families through accessing free and affordable internet. With more people staying home, Tucson police say there's been a significant drop in some crimes as well as traffic collisions. There was a nearly 17% decrease in serious crimes from March 1 to April 16 compared with the same time last year, Tucson police say. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 6,526, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Sunday morning in its daily tally.

The state said 275 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. Across Pima County, 1,136 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed. There have been 76 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area, according to the state health department on Sunday. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona from Monday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• Democrats in Arizona and other states are calling for the Trump administration to stop spending billions of dollars on the border wall during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Food banks are key to our survival as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis, writes Samantha Turner, the administrative coordinator to the CEO and chief programs officer at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.

• To college seniors, graduation means more than just 'a walk,' writes Briannon Wilfong, an Arizona Daily Star apprentice for the Spring 2020 semester.

6:45 a.m.: Thirty-eight long-term-care residents in Pima County are known to have died from the coronavirus — more than half of the county's known deaths related to COVID-19 — according to an analysis of local virus data obtained by the Arizona Daily Star. With at least 58 residents and 36 staff members testing positive for the virus as of Friday, Sapphire of Tucson, accounts for about a third of Pima County's known COVID-19 cases at long-term-care facilities. Despite a number of long-term-care facilities across Arizona — including 25 assisted living and long-term-care facilities in Pima County — having reported outbreaks, the state has refused to provide specific data about known COVID-19 cases at nursing homes. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 6,280 on Saturday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said in its daily tally. The state said 273 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. In Pima County, 1,090 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed, the state said.There have been 76 known COVID-19 deaths in the Tucson-metro area.

Being "blue-collar" has changed over the years in Tucson. The 'new blue-collar workforce,' the working-class sector of the economy that typically includes traditional blue-collar jobs, like manual labor, now also includes members of the gig economy, such as retail and service workers, musicians and artists. And while the vast majority of the Arizona's workforce has been affected in some way, shape or form by business closures and social changes spawned by the coronavirus, that sector has been hit a little harder — at least in Tucson and Pima County.

• We must speak with precision about COVID-19, says Michael Badowski, who has a doctorate in microbiology and immunology, is an associate research scientist at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Biorepository.

• Star Editorial Page Editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen explains how letters are separated among those with opinion based on facts and those that mislead on COVID-19.

• Today's Keeping the Faith installment features inspiring messages from: Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, founding rabbi of Congregation Beit Simcha; Steven Broadbent, president of the Tucson Arizona North Stake for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Kelly Bauer, a religious educator on the UA campus for the LDS Church; and Carolyn Ancell, an ordained interfaith minister and certified therapeutic harpist whose parish is wherever she is playing.

Saturday, April 25

6:45 a.m.: Weeks after federal approval, the state has hired a firm to process the jobless claims for Arizonans who qualify only for special federal aid. Those workers include part-timers, independent contractors and others ineligible for the regular state unemployment benefits. Checks won't be in the mail, however, until mid May. Local banking and small-business officials say they hope smaller businesses will get a bigger share of the second-round funding from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. In Arizona as of April 16, funding for 19,280 PPP loans had been approved by the Small Business Administration, totaling $4.8 billion. Too much of that money, critics say, has gone to big companies. In the midst of the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic, three Tucson restauranteurs have decided to open their doors anyway. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 6,045 Friday, the Arizona Department of Health Services said. It said 266 people in Arizona are known to have died from COVID-19. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus crisis from Saturday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6:45 a.m.: Arizonans who believe they have been exposed to the coronavirus should now have an easier time getting tested after state health officials widened criteria for health professionals to do so. A restaurant in Oro Valley has had its liquor license suspended by the state after officials say it was allowing diners to eat and drink on the patio despite Arizona's emergency order requiring take-out only. A Tucson company has agreed to pay an employee sick leave — required under the newly passed Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act — after refusing to do so for the worker who was under a doctor's order to self-quarantine with potential COVID-19 symptoms. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Pima County topped 1,000 Thursday, according to the Arizona Health Services Department. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona reached 5,769, with 249 known deaths. Gov. Doug Ducey still has not said whether he will allow his stay-at-home orders to expire April 30. The decision to reopen the state's economy will depend on virus modeling which show a wide range of dates and situations when it will be safe to do so. Here are the latest news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus crisis from Friday's Arizona Daily Star:

6:30 a.m.: Some 26 million people across the US have now filed for unemployment benefits in the five weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing businesses to close. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Wednesday he won't be rushed into lifting his statewide executive orders limiting what's open across the state. His orders closing businesses he's deemed non-essential — like gyms, bars, and salons — are set to expire April 30. Ducey said he's asking for patience from Arizonans as he contemplates whether the orders will be continued, lifted or modified. Ducey did decide Wednesday to allow nonessential surgeries to resume May 1, after hospitals across the state complained the prohibition was a major financial hardship. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona rose to 5,459 on Wednesday, state health officials said. In Pima County there were 973 known cases of coronavirus. There have been 68 known coronavirus deaths in the county, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Statewide, there have been 229 known deaths. Meanwhile, with fewer people driving to school or the office, air pollution noticeably dropped across the Tucson area in the past two months compared to years past.

6:30 a.m.: Arizona's legislative leaders are planning to pull the plug on the 2020 session, which was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent statewide shutdown. State lawmakers will vote May 1 to end the session and return in January to deal with unsettled financial and policy issues. There were 21 additional coronavirus deaths reported in Arizona Tuesday, the most in a single day since the the outbreak began. There were 208 known deaths related to COVID-19 and at least 5,251 coronavirus cases across the state, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported on Tuesday. Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order expires late next week, but the Republican governor hasn't said yet if he'll extend it. Pinal Airpark north of Tucson is filling up with jets from airline fleets being grounded because so few people are flying. Earlier this week, 268 aircraft were sitting in storage at the airpark.

6:45 a.m.: Nearly 420,000 Arizonans have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, new state unemployment figures show. Another 72,103 people filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits in the week that ended April 17. That's 418,016 new unemployment filings in the past five weeks, or 11.6% of Arizona's total workforce. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters gathered at the Capitol Monday to object to Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home orders, which closed schools and businesses he deems nonessential, like gyms, hair salons and tattoo shops to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The protest was held on the same day that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona topped 5,000, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported Monday. In Pima County there are now 941 known cases of coronavirus. There have been 58 known coronavirus deaths in the Tucson area and 187 in the state.

• All six members of UA Softball team's 2020 senior class — Alyssa Palomino- Cardoza, Reyna Carranco, Jessie Harper, Alyssa Denham, Malia Martinez and Mariah Lopez — announced Monday that they will be returning next season, under an NCAA rule that allows spring-sport seniors the right to another year of eligibility due to the pandemic.

6:15 a.m.: Members of Tucson's homeless community who might be showing coronavirus symptoms or are at risk of contracting COVID-19 are being moved into a pair of hotels under a new program initiated by city officials. So far, 33 people — 22 falling into the at-risk category and 11 who were displaying symptoms — were moved out of homeless shelters or off the streets and into the two hotels on Friday in an effort to try to slow the spread of the virus. On Sunday the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 4,929 cases, up 210 from the previous day, according the the daily tally from the Arizona Department of Health Services. In Pima County, 913 cases of coronavirus had been confirmed Sunday, it said. The outbreak is keeping some snowbirds in Southern Arizona. Many are putting off heading back home until long roads trips are safer. Here are news developments in Tucson and Arizona related to the coronavirus pandemic from Monday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

6 p.m.: The Pima County Dislocated Worker Hotline — 520-724-5735 — was established March 26 to respond to the surge in unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the hotline is helping direct those who were recently laid-off to other resources, including from the Pima County Community Action Agency, which offers assistance with rent, utilities and other basic needs for low-income individuals and families.

6:45 a.m.: Nearly half of Arizona's licensed early childhood care and education providers have closed during the coronavirus crisis. That's more than 1,200 facilities across the state, including public and private preschools, Head Start facilities, in-home providers and child-care centers that are casualties of the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, a pause in elective surgeries and rise in people avoiding emergency-room visits are combining to put significant financial pressure on Tucson hospitals. The result: furloughs and cuts in staff work hours as hospitals combat COVID-19.

Federal relief packages passed last month to cover coronavirus testing for everyone do not prohibit out-of-network labs from billing insured patients directly, Tucsonans have learned. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona climbed to 4,719, a rise of 212 cases in a day, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported Saturday. Across Pima County, 856 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed Saturday. There have been 56 known coronavirus deaths in the county as of Saturday.

• Help Tucson's health-care workers keep their loved ones safe, write Brad Dreifuss and Duke Duncan, who are with the University of Arizona colleges of medicine and public health; Mark Nichter, with the UA school of anthropology and the colleges of medicine and public health; and Katherine Ellingson, of the the UA college of public health. They represent the HCW HOSTED Tucson Working Group.

• Today's "Keeping the Faith" series includes uplifting messages from Rev. Michael T. Bush, senior minister of Casas Adobes Congregational UCC in Tucson; Andy Tracy, lead pastor at Lifepoint Church; Father Robert Hendrickson, rector of St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church in Tucson; and Jeff Logsdonwas, founder of Tucson's Hope City Church.

Saturday, April 18

Furloughs and pay cuts are central to a massive financial plan the University of Arizona released on Friday that details its effort to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus crisis. The cuts could affect workers for one of Pima County's top two employers through June 2021. Later in the day, the UA released a tuition plan for the upcoming school year that includes no increase in base tuition for incoming students. With the known cases of COVID-19 in the state reaching 4,500 Friday morning, new projections from a health-tracking firm suggest Arizonans could start going out and socializing by early June. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation sharply lowered its projections of how many people in the state it expects will die from COVID-19. The projections went from 1,005 earlier in the week to 267 by late Friday afternoon. There were 169 known deaths from coronavirus in Arizona on Friday morning, the state Health Services Department reported.

• To take care of the public, we must protect essential workers, writes Peter Dooley, a certified industrial hygienist, and Steve Valencia, chair of Tucson Jobs with Justice.

Friday, April 17

1:10 p.m.: Jean Fedigan has been handing out food and sanitary supplies to the homeless, but like many other shelter workers, she can't allow anyone in the doors during the day at the Sister Jose Women's Center. That, coupled with the fact that public restrooms in Tucson parks have shuttered their doors, has left the city's homeless population with limited places to wash their hands.

6:45 a.m.: Arizona shed about 7,400 jobs last month. How unusual is that during this time of year? Employers in Arizona typically add 10,700 workers between February and March, state officials say. Fallout from the coronavirus pandemic pushed the jobless rate in Arizona a full point in March, the first of what could be worsening numbers going forward. New figures released Thursday, show that in March the state set its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 5.5%. Nationally, there were 5.2 million new applications for unemployment benefits last month. The total number of laid-off American workers in the month since the virus all but shut down the economy is at 22 million.

Known COVID-19 cases in Arizona rose to 4,234, with 760 in Pima County, according the the Arizona Health Services Department. There have been 150 confirmed coronavirus-related deaths in the state, and 37 known deaths in Pima County. As the coronavirus numbers continue to rise in Arizona, hospitals in the state appear to have enough beds and ventilators to handle an anticipated surge in COVID-19 patients.

• Home isolation from the pandemic is "allowing the earth to heal almost before our eyes in the form of cleaner skies, clearer water and less atmospheric carbon," writes David A. Schaller, a retired EPA environmental scientist and Tucson native who writes on regional energy, water and climate security.

• "I challenge you to consider one daily act of service, and I promise that you will be as blessed as those you serve," writes Jim Click Jr., president of the Jim Click Automotive Team and president of the Click Family Foundation.

6:30 a.m.: With more than 5 million Americans fling for unemployment benefits in the past week and a total of 22 million since last month, city workers could face furloughs and layoffs as Tucson deals with steep, unexpected revenue losses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. City Manager Michael Ortega says it's still too early to know exactly what steps the city will take to weather the financial impact from the pandemic, but he told City Council members this week that jobs could be affected. Similarly, the financial hit from the coronavirus is hitting hospitals across the country hard. In Arizona, hospitals are reporting financial losses of 30% to 40% a month. To help their bottom line, Gov. Doug Ducey says he is looking to restore the ability of hospitals in the state to again do elective surgeries. As part of his emergency orders last month, Ducey halted selective surgeries to help ensure an adequate supply of personal protective equipment — masks, gowns and gloves — to handle what is expected to be a surge in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19. There were 3,963 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the state and 700 in Pima County, the Arizona Department of Health Services reported Wednesday. There have been 142 known COVID-19 deaths.

• Opinion Editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen is inviting readers to join a video chat with her staff at 2 p.m. today. Email her at sgassen@tucson.com for an invitation with the proper Zoom link to join the call.

6:45 a.m.: Faculty, staff and students at the University of Arizona will be tested to see if they have antibodies showing they have had COVID-19, President Robert Robbins said Tuesday. The tests won't be mandatory and no one will be denied admission or access to classrooms depending on the test results, Robbins said. However, he says, widespread campus testing will help the university determine what sort of protective measures need to be taken, if any, when classes resume. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases across Arizona Tuesday rose to 3,806, state health officials said on Tuesday. In Pima County, there were 685 known cases of coronavirus, according to Arizona Health Services. Low testing numbers and inconsistent tracking of cases across the state is holding back Arizona's ability to safely reopen its economy, writes Tim Steller, the Star's metro columnist. UA Athletics could lose $7.5 million this spring due to the coronavirus outbreak, Dave Heeke, the school's athletic director told boosters and fans in an open letter Tuesday.

• Limited testing and tracing resources are making it hard for Arizona to find a way to safely re-open the economy without having unmanageable spikes in COVID-19, says Star Metro Columnist Tim Steller.

8:29 p.m.: Tohono Chul is requesting donations to help support the botanical gardens. The family foundation of a friend of Tohono Chul has agreed to match gifts up to $150,000. To make a donation, visit tohonochul.org or send it to Tohono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte, Tucson, AZ 85704.

Tohono Chul has had to cut expenses and furlough some workers after the gardens closed to the public, according to a news release.

6:30 a.m.: Newly released data from the state showing coronavirus cases by ZIP code should be 'cautiously' interpreted, health officials say. They warn the numbers don't accurately reflect where people contracted the virus and are skewed by testing availability. Seven more deaths from the coronavirus were reported for Arizona Monday, bringing the statewide total to 122. There were more than 3,700 cases of COVID-19 in the state, according to Arizona Health Services. Those numbers are updated daily. Meanwhile, some 350,000 unemployment claims have been filed in Arizona since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, new state figures show. Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday he wants to reopen the economy as soon as possible – but not until it is 'safe and healthy for people to do so.'

• The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona has an interactive map that shows were emergency food boxes and community meals are being distributed in the region. The map can be accessed at www.communityfoodbank.

• Trump touting hydroxychloroquine as a virus cure puts lives at risk, writes Dr. Carlos C. (Kent) Campbell, who served 23 years as chief of the malaria branch at the CDC and led the effort to create the Arizona College of Public Health; and Richard C. Collins, who worked on parasitic disease epidemiology and control for the CDC.

Monday, April 13

4:30 p.m.: The Women of Quail Creek, an active retirement community in Green Valley are making masks for their neighbors and for hospitals and essential workplaces. The ladies have sewn 400 masks this week and 1,380 masks in the past four weeks. The masks have been donated to The National Guard, Tohono Nation Health Center, Green Valley home health aides, Banner Diamond Children's Center, Santa Cruz Hospital, Santa Rita Nursing Home, Banner's Respiratory department, Banner-Diamond Children's Center and Arizona Oncology. Some masks have also gone to friends and family.

6:30 a.m.: Tucson's coronavirus hot spot is ZIP code 85714 — a swath loosely between Ajo Way and Irvington Road, west from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to just west of Interstate 19. So far, it has 64 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to expended COVID-19 data released Sunday by Arizona Health Services that includes the ZIP code of where patients live. The state health agency on Sunday also raised the number of confirmed cases across the state to 3,539. There are 622 cases in Pima County, the agency said Sunday.

• UA President Robert Robbins says the 'full spectrum of options' is being discussed as the school looks for ways to cope with the financial fallout of the pandemic. Options include a temporary stop in hiring that's already been implemented to salary freezes and furloughs.

• A system that allows people in Arizona to sign petitions online — the same one used by political candidates — is 'highly susceptible to fraud,' says the attorney for the Arizona Republican Party says in arguing in court against letting initiative backers collect signatures online to get measures on the ballot.

• Also recently in the Star: Buy Local is a new partnership connecting all of us to these vitally important Southern Arizona businesses through an online marketplace. Go to tucson.com/giftcards to see who is offering gift cards on Buy Local, says John D'Orlando, president and publisher of the Arizona Daily Star; A new job-matching website is now available to Pima County residents; Here are groups across Tucson offering free food and services to those in need; and our coronavirus resource guide has ways to find and get help in Tucson.

7:15 a.m.: Arizona's death toll from coronavirus topped 100 Saturday, doubling in about a week, according to figures from the state Health Services Department. The agency reported 3,398 known coronavirus cases in the state and 591 confirmed cases in Pima County, where 29 people are known to have died from COVID-19. By Saturday, 5,320 people in Pima County had been tested for coronavirus, with 40,530 tests being conducted across Arizona. The health agency numbers are expected to by updated Sunday morning. Later in the day, the state also says it plans to release more detailed information about COVID-19 patients here, including the ZIP code where they live.

Tracking coronavirus patients is critical to helping fight the spread of the disease. But contact tracing is a challenge, local officials say, as COVID-19 cases continues to swell since March 9, when the first case was identified here. COVID-19 survivor Glen Reed is back home after three weeks in ICU and over two weeks on a ventilator.

Home isolation and social distancing is making this Easter weekend like no other. Still, Tucson families continue to find ways to stay connected to each other, their neighbors and the community. Tucson's faith leaders also are finding new ways to stay connected, read their uplifting messages today.

• Here are five messages from faith leaders across Tucson: Most Rev. Edward J. Weisenburger, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson; David Gainey, founding and lead pastor of the Oasis at Rita Ranch; Rabbi Sanford Seltzer, who lives in Oro Valley who has held a variety of positions on the regional and national staff of the Union For Reform Judaism; Pastor Adam Mueller, senior pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Marana; and Rabbi Helen Cohn, the spiritual leader of Congregation M'kor Hayim in Tucson.

• Tucson Mayor Regina Romero writes about Tucson's economic recovery, including the establishment of the We Are One/ Somos Uno Resiliency Fund. It's a partnership with the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona that will support nonprofits, workers, families and small businesses hurt by the pandemic.

• Buy Local is a new partnership connecting all of us to these vitally important Southern Arizona businesses through an online marketplace. Go to tucson.com/giftcards to see who is offering gift cards on Buy Local, says John D'Orlando, president and publisher of the Arizona Daily Star.

Saturday, April 11

9:00 a.m.: The Arizona Department of Corrections is posting its COVID-19 data on its website. The dashboard provides statistics for Arizona's prisons and is set to be updated daily. Find it here.

8:00 a.m.: Students in the Fashion Design Program at Pima Community College are making face masks to raise funds for the program after its largest fundraiser of the year — the FashionArte 2020 spring runway show — was canceled due to coronavirus. A student-made mask comes with each $25 donation to the fashion program. Find more information here or call 520-206-4646.

6:30 a.m.: Tucson families are finding ways to stay connected to elderly relatives and friends who are in lockdown in care facilities during the coronavirus pandemic. A Tucson activist is calling on Gov. Doug Ducey to release Arizona's ill and elderly prison inmates during the pandemic. And a retired Tucson-area doctor who accepted a five-day assignment on a cruise ship is entering his fifth week stuck on board during a search for an open port to eventually get him and the rest of the ship's crew home. There were 3,112 known COVID-19 cases in the state and 97 deaths, the Arizona Health Services Department reported on Friday. In Pima County there were 543 known coronavirus cases and 26 deaths, state figures showed Friday.

6:30 a.m.: Some 775 Arizonans are likely to die from the coronavirus pandemic by the end of May, according to a new economic forecast that also says the outbreak is going to blow a billion-dollar hole in state finances. There were 3,018 known COVID-19 cases across Arizona and 89 deaths as of Thursday, the state Health Services Department reported. In Pima County there were 512 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths, county health officials said Thursday.

Also Thursday, Gov. Doug Ducey said that by Easter Sunday, the state will provide information on location — by ZIP codes — of Arizona patients with confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19. Health Services also will also start listing race and ethnic information about coronavirus patients in the state. Meanwhile, the Tucson Convention Center and a closed hospital near Tucson Mall have been identified as locations here that could potentially be used as alternate care facilities should the state see an extreme surge of hospitalizations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers, including a UA professor, are analyzing genomes to track the spread of COVID-19 across the state. One finding: someone arrived in Arizona with the virus in late February or early March and the infection spread.

• Why we do what we do, even when it's not smart, during the pandemic is a topic tackled today by Kathryn Reed, a retired professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UA, and Erin Harvey, an associate professor in the UA's Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science.

6:30 a.m.: Seniors in Tucson's largest k-12 school district, TUSD, who were on track to graduate before the sudden switch to online-learning have assurances from district leaders that they are guaranteed to get their diploma at the end of the school year. Similarly, grades for all students in Tucson Unified School District can be raised, but not lowered, during this period of forced remote learning due to the coronavirus outbreak, district officials said. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state reached 2,726 Wednesday, with 80 known coronavirus deaths, according to Arizona Health Services. In Pima County, there were 464 known cases Wednesday and 16 deaths, county health officials reported. Gov. Ducey's order this week that he says requires visitors to Arizona from areas having 'substantial community spread' of COVID-19 is murky when it comes to the do's and don't for out-of-town guests. Restaurants in Tucson and the state can now sell groceries, and a local radio station has started a GoFundMe campaign to help feed health-care workers and first responders. Here are news development about the coronavirus pandemic in Tucson and across Arizona from Thursday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• TUSD students can use grades earned in the third quarter of the school year, before schools were closed, as their final grades. And high school seniors on track to graduate before schools were ordered closed will get their diploma, TUSD says.

• The legal counsel for the Arizona Board of Regents says there is 'no factual basis' for the attorney general's assertion that state universities must release more information about students, faculty and staff who contract COVID-19.

• The inability to properly social distance means it's time to shut down overcrowded Sabino Canyon, writes Melissa Rubalcava, a Tucson native and graduate student pursuing her master's degree in international relations at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in Syracuse, New York.

• Robert Matte Jr., a local writer and a retired college teacher, shares some light-hearted observations about living through the coronavirus pandemic in Tucson.

• Tucson will have its own virtual country music festival on Friday, April 10, courtesy of Jessica Northey-Shaw. A nationally- known country music social media influencer from Tucson, Northey-Shaw put together a solid lineup of local country talent for a daylong virtual festival from noon to 9 p.m. Friday, to be broadcast on her Country Sway Facebook page (facebook.com/CountrySway).

2:00 p.m.: Amid the rapid spread of coronavirus, we want to hear what's on your mind: What questions, concerns and news tips do you have about the coronavirus outbreak in Southern Arizona? Click here to submit any questions you may have.

6:50 a.m.: Tucson school closures prompted by the coronavirus outbreak won't hurt student grades in TUSD, the governing board decided Tuesday night. And seniors on track to get their diploma before schools closed will still do so, regardless of grades during forced online classes.

6:30 a.m.: As confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 2,500 Tuesday, beach towns in Sonora spread a message to American tourists who normally crowd its hotels and sandy shores during the days leading up to Easter: stay away. Known COVID-19 cases in Pima County were at 415 Tuesday, including 15 coronavirus-related deaths, county health officials reported. Six border officers in Arizona have tested positive for COVID-19, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports. And Gov. Doug Ducey says he wants visitors to Arizona from the New York City area — and anywhere else there is 'substantial community spread' of the coronavirus — to quarantine themselves for two weeks after arrival.

• Give trials a chance to gauge effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in fighting COVID-19, says Dr. Timothy C. Fagan, a professor emeritus of internal medicine at the University of Arizona.

• The Star's Opinion team meets every weekday via Zoom video conference call. Opinion Editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen set up a Zoom meeting that is open to the public. One rule: no shouting. Join the team Thursday, April 9, at 2 p.m.

6:30 a.m.: The number of out of work Arizonans seeking unemployment benefits amid the coronavirus crisis set a new record this week. There were nearly 130,000 new claims filed by the end of last week, state numbers released Monday show. The week before there were nearly 89,000 claims. How much higher than normal for Arizona are those numbers? Fewer than 3,000 new unemployment filings were submitted the last week of February.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 2,400 on Monday, according to the Arizona Health Services Department. There were 415 known COVID-19 cases in Pima County. Across the state, there have been 65 known coronavirus deaths, including 14 in Pima County, officials said Monday.

Today is Arizona Gives Day and area nonprofits say the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak makes the massive online fundraising effort especially crucial to their ability to help others.

Here are local and state developments related to the coronavirus pandemic from Tuesday's Arizona Daily Star:

• Brittany L. Uhlorn, a doctoral candidate in cancer biology at the University of Arizona, writes about the importance of taking care of your mental health during the sometimes overwhelming stress brought on by the pandemic.

• The Star has compiled a big resource guide to help Tucsonans with an assortment of issues affecting daily life during the coronavirus outbreak. Among the topics covered: getting help covering the rent; buying groceries; and keeping the kids busy. The guide will be updated regularly.

6:30 a.m.: There have been 13 known deaths in Pima County related to the coronavirus, the county health department reported Sunday afternoon. Since Jan. 22, 81 people here have been hospitalized with COVID-19, including 24 people admitted into intensive care units, the department said Sunday. Meanwhile, confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona are now at 2,269, with 372 of them in Pima County, according to the statewide tally released earlier Sunday by the Arizona Department of Health Services. It said there were 64 known COVID-19 deaths in Arizona as of Sunday morning. The state tally also said the deaths in Pima County numbered 14, one more than the county reported in its tally later Sunday.

The state does not release data on the number of patients in Arizona who have recovered. For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms but can be deadly, especially for older people and those with underlying health conditions. Here are the latest local and state developments related to the coronavirus pandemic from Monday's issue of the Arizona Daily Star:

• The Star has compiled a big resource guide to help Tucsonans with an assortment of issues affecting daily life during the coronavirus outbreak. Among the topics covered: getting help covering the rent; buying groceries; and keeping the kids busy. The guide will be updated regularly.

Sunday, April 5

8:00 a.m.: Downtown Tucson Partnership said Sunday that all 1000 gift cards it was selling for $25 apiece to help businesses sold out. The effort raised $35,000 in just over 24 hours, the group said.

6:30 a.m.: An expected surge in COVID-19 cases is expected to hit here later this month, and Tucson hospitals are doing what they can to prepare for it. However, the preparation is being slowed by a sizable lack of supplies, medical devices and personal protective equipment. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona have been rising daily. There were 2,019 known COVID-19 cases in Arizona, with 326 of them in Pima County, according to the statewide tally released Saturday by the Arizona Department of Health Services. There have been 52 known COVID-19 deaths in Arizona, the department said, including 12 in Pima County. The statewide pandemic numbers are expected to be updated later Sunday. The number of people infected in the U.S. has exceeded 300,000. The nationwide death toll surpassed 8,400, with more than 3,500 of those deaths in the state of New York, according to reporting from the Associated Press. For most people the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, COVID-19 can be more severe or fatal.

• This long period of self-isolation, which began more than two weeks ago and is scheduled for another month at least, is taking a toll on Tucson's mental health, writes Tim Steller, the Star's Metro columnist.

• It is a scary time in America due to coronavirus, especially if you are pregnant. Nancy Mellberg and Teresa Wilson, registered nurses in the Nurse-Family Partnership at Casa de los Niños share tips for staying safe and healthy.

• Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Class of 2020 should focus on the good, writes Adrian Ford, a student at the UA's School of Journalism.

• Today's collection of sermons and messages from Tucson's religious community includes: Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin, the outreach director at Chabad Tucson; Pastor Roy Tullgren, who oversees Donor and Church Engagement at the Gospel Rescue Mission; and Rabbi Thomas Louchheim, of Congregation Or Chadash in Tucson.

6:30 a.m.: Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday widened Arizona's mandated business closures to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, adding barbershops, beauty and nail salons, spas, tattoo shops and similar services. He also ordered swap meets, playgrounds and public pools to close. Friday's order came nearly two weeks after mounting criticism that his earlier emergency orders didn't go far enough to limit social contact during the pandemic and that they were used specifically to prohibit Arizona's 91 cities and towns and 15 counties from using local powers to shutter businesses he had deemed "essential." Tucson Mayor Regina Romero was among the first local leaders in the state to institute wide-ranging limits and closures on an assortment of businesses in the city and had been urging Ducey to declare at statewide stay-at-home order.

Ducey's new order takes effect at 5 p.m. today.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona were at 1,769, with 280 in Pima County, state officials said Friday. Across the state, there have been 41 known coronavirus deaths as of Friday morning, the daily count issued by the Arizona Department of Health Services showed. That number includes 11 known coronavirus deaths in Pima County, according to the county Health Department's website Friday.

• Gov. Doug Ducey on Friday ordered barbershops, beauty and nail salons, spas and similar services, as well as swap meets, playgrounds and public pools to close, conceding they can't be operated safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Instead of attending open houses, many Tucson homeshoppers are opting for virtual home tours.

• Health-care workers in Tucson are getting much-needed protection during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to a local effort to make face masks and shields with 3D printers and laser cutters.

• The Pima County Sheriff's Department has seen a spike in calls for help from hikers hitting the trails without taking basic safety measures.

The edict, which takes effect at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 4, also further narrows his original list of "essential services.'' He will now require the closure of any amenities at public parks "that do not allow for recommended physical distancing or proper hygiene.'' That includes everything from basketball courts and playgrounds to public restrooms.

6:30 a.m.: Employees still working for a company with two call center locations in Tucson say they worry about their health because its too crowded to apply social distancing guidelines and avoid colleagues who are ill. Meanwhile, the number of people in the state who have already lost their jobs keeps growing. Arizona had more than 28,000 unemployment claims filed in the week ending March 21. There were 89,000 last week and another 100,000 people are expected to file soon. What's typical for Arizona? Normally about 3,500 claims are filed a week in the state. Coronavirus is widespread in the state, which on Thursday reported 1,598 known COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths. In Pima County there were 237 confirmed coronavirus cases, the Arizona Health Services Department reported. On Thursday Gov. Doug Ducey issued an order that put the brakes in Arizonans getting the malaria drug chloroquine to avoid getting COVID-19, at least without a prescription. Here are coronavirus developments in Tucson and Arizona from today's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• The Star has compiled a big resource guide to help Tucsonans with an assortment of issues affecting daily life during the coronavirus outbreak. Among the topics covered: getting help covering the rent; buying groceries; and keeping the kids busy. The guide will be updated regularly.

• Arizonans hoping to avoid contracting COVID-19 won't be able to do so legally by getting their hands on the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, or chloroquine — at least not without a prescription.

• Mobile home residents across Tucson — especially those living in old, substandard units — are likely to be particularly hard hit by COVID-19, say Mark Kear and Margaret Wilder, faculty members in the School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona.

• Without gigs to play, Tucson country singer Angel Perez is set perform a concert later today from his balcony. The performance of his second concert this week begins at 5 p.m. It will help raise money for the staff of Wisdom's Cafe, a Mexican restaurant in Tumacacori. The concert is being livestreamed on his Facebook page: https:// tinyurl.com/wu8hulk.

5:13p.m.: Pima County launched a new webpage that connects its residents to local restaurants that are open for takeout during the coronavirus pandemic. Pima Eats, links residents to the Daily Star's restaurant guide which lists more than 500 restaurants that are open for pickup or delivery. The county has also created a Pima Eats Facebook page where they will also share food promotions from area restaurants.

6:30 a.m.: With mass layoffs across the country — US unemployment claims hit a record 6.6 million claims last week — a number of the thousands of Tucsonans who are among the newly unemployed say they can't reach DES customer service centers for help filing for benefits. There were more than 1,400 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arizona Wednesday, according to the state Health Services Department's daily count. In Pima County, 217 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed, with 10 deaths. Thirty-five of the Pima County patients have been hospitalized and 13 have been in the ICU. The number of known COVID-19 deaths rose to 29.

• Families say uncertainty from Arizona leaders over the best practices for protecting the intellectually disabled from COVID-19 has led some providers to close programs or divert aides from providing home visits.

• "These are some of the hardest decisions I've had to make in my more than four decades with Pima County," County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said about putting an unspecified number of it's 7,000 employees on leave to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. "But they are necessary. I, and every member of the Board of Supervisors, understand that these actions will cause financial hardships for some employees if this order lasts more than a few weeks. We are doing everything we can to assist our workers through this difficult time."

8:10 a.m.: The University of Arizona is launching a series of webinars to address coronavirus pandemic issues. The first one, about best practices to control the spread of the virus, will be held today.

6:45 a.m.: After word of two big house parties this weekend near the University of Arizona campus, police said officers are ready to enforce social distancing orders mandated during the coronavirus outbreak. Chris Magnus, Tucson's police chief, says party-goers could be charged with a misdemeanor. Meanwhile, an unspecified number of "non-essential" Pima County employees ended their shift Tuesday with a notice that they're being put in leave until the statewide stay-at-home order issued this week by Gov. Ducey is rescinded. On the same day, the county asked for an army of volunteers — especially people with medical experience — to help fight the pandemic. The economic fallout from the virus crisis hit the Star on Tuesday too, with its parent company Lee Enterprises ordering furloughs at all of its properties. Here's a roundup of local and state developments related to the coronavirus outbreak from today's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• A call for volunteers, especially people with medical backgrounds, was issued by the county to help fight the coronavirus.

• The state Board of Education adopted an emergency rule Tuesday that bars Arizona public schools from withholding academic credit or a diploma "solely because the student missed instructional time due to a school closure issued by the governor." That means Arizona's estimated 86,000 high school seniors won't be prevented from graduating because of the virus shutdown.

• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona's signature attraction, remained open to the public Tuesday, despite growing calls for it to close to protect visitors, vendors and staff from coronavirus.

• Lee Enterprises, which owns the Arizona Daily Star in cooperation with Gannett, has instituted temporary pay cuts and furloughs due to coronavirus-related revenue declines. All employees either will have reduced pay or take unpaid time off from April through June. Gannett instituted similar cost-savings measures on Monday, but the Star is following Lee's plan.

10:00 a.m.: A third COVID-19 cases has been confirmed in Santa Cruz County, health officials there said in a news release Tuesday morning.

"The investigation found that the person had traveled to an area where community transmission is present," said the news release from Santa Cruz County Health Services, without providing additional detail about the trip. "The person is recovering well at home."

8:30 a.m.: Tucsonans who attend large gatherings during mandated social distancing requirements prompted by COVID-19 could be charged with a misdemeanor, Police Chief Chris Magnus said in a statement Tuesday.

6:15 a.m.: With coronavirus continuing to spread across Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey on Monday issued an order saying people who don't need to be out to stay home. It takes effect today at 5 p.m. However, there are several exceptions for 'essential activities.' Those can include everything from grocery shopping to getting your hair or nails done (assuming those businesses haven't already closed under local emergency orders). Ducey's order came on the same day a Tucson nursing home and rehab facility said it has a major coronavirus outbreak, with 27 patients and staff testing positive for COVID-19. At least one patient has died. There are 20 known coronavirus deaths in the state among 1,157 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the Arizona Health Services Department reported on Monday in its daily count. Earlier in the day, Ducey said there was no reasonable way to have schools in Arizona reopen safely this spring. That means k-12 students will end their school year online.

Here's a roundup of local and state coronavirus developments from Tuesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• "He was a great man, very smart, very intelligent," Scott Franklin said through tears about of his dad, who died Saturday of COVID-19. Lloyd Franklin, 64, a resident at Sapphire of Tucson for six years, was one of 27 patients or staff members there who've contracted the disease.

• Starting at 5 p.m. today, Arizonans must 'limit their time' away from their homes except to participate in 'essential activities,' says an order to limit the spread of coronavirus issued Monday by Gov. Doug Ducey.

• These simple actions can stop this coronavirus pandemic, according to Dr. Allan Hamilton is a regents professor of surgery, professor of neurosurgery, psychology, radiation oncology, and electrical and computer engineering at the University of Arizona.

1:54 p.m.: The Postal History Foundation is accepting entries for the 13th Annual Tucson Birthday Stamp Design Contest for Kids 2020. Tucson-area children ages five to 17 can enter the contest. There are three age groups. The winner will have their design made into a custom U.S. postage stamp, and the top five winners from each age group will receive awards and prizes. The contest deadline is July 31. Entry forms and rules can be downloaded at www.postalhistoryfoundation.org. Entries should be mailed in as the Postal History Foundation is temporarily closed to the public due to the coronavirus.

6:30 a.m.: Wendy Smith-Reeve, director of the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, resigned over the weekend. She complained to Gov. Doug Ducey that she was being sidelined as a leader in the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Associated Press reports. Arizona's confirmed COVID-19 cases climbed to 919 Sunday. In Pima County the number of known cases rose to 153, according to Sunday's daily coronavirus count by the Arizona Health Services Department.

• Add guns and ammo to the list of items like toilet paper and rice that Tucsonans are stocking up on during the virus crisis.

• Stores with padlocked doors is what visitors will find along the nearly empty streets of downtown Nogales. U.S. officials started blocking non-essential travel from Mexico last week as a precaution against the coronavirus. It blocked Mexican shoppers from coming into Arizona, slamming businesses in the state's border communities.

12:23 p.m.:A sixth coronavirus patient died in Pima County as of Sunday morning. The man is between 41 and 65 years old and had underlying conditions that made him high risk for severe illness, the Pima County Health Department said in a news release Sunday.

6:30 a.m.: Despite the ongoing spread of coronavirus, many Tucsonans have found creative ways to maintain a sense of community during a time of isolation. Known cases of COVID-19 in Arizona saw a triple-digit increase overnight Friday, reaching 773 confirmed cases Saturday, according the daily tally kept by the state Department of Health Services. As the weather here warms, many hope higher temperatures will help tamp down the coronavirus. Though viruses are known to be seasonal — studies say COVID-19 seems to have spread faster in areas with cool or cold temperatures — the behavior of coronavirus in warmer climates isn't certain. Some experts say if a warm-weather break happens, the virus can come back with a new punch in the fall.

• Need a spiritual lift? 3 local pastors share their sermons to help cope with the virus crisis. They are: Phil Kruis, the founding pastor of Rincon Mountain Presbyterian Church; Rev. Andrew G. Ross, the pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church; and Glen Elliott, the lead pastor at Pantano Christian Church.

• The coronavirus "has its hooks deep into our community" local scientists say. Now is the time to focus on a battle plan for slowing the virus explosion.

• For SaddleBrooke elders who are now living under self-quarantine, the pandemic is a startling experience, says Jerry Wilkerson, a writer and 11-year resident of the community north of Tucson.

• With no March Madness this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, CBS is using the airtime to replay college basketball classics. At 11:30 a.m. Sunday the network is showing the 1997 NCAA Championship game between Arizona and Kentucky. Spoiler alert: the game was an 84-79 OT thriller in which the Arizona Wildcats won a title.

8:30 a.m.: Desert diamond casinos around Tucson and Glendale are staying closed until at least April 23.

5:45 a.m.: Tucson Mayor Regina Romero on Friday joined other local leaders in the state who are calling on Gov. Doug Ducey to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order to slow the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, Romero ordered more local businesses to close, and suggested many more do the same. She widened her earlier proclamation to fight coronavirus spread on the same day the official death count from COVID-19 in Pima County reached 4 people. Across the state there were 665 cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths. Those numbers are expected to rise when the state Health Services Department updates its coronavirus tally later today.

5:00 a.m.: The FBI created an online resource page with coronavirus-related updates, including an increase in medical equipment scams and tips to keep children from becoming victims of online sexual exploitation during school closures.

Here are local and state developments related to COVID-19 from today's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• The top priority in fighting coronavirus: personal protective gear (for healthcare workers) and medical and hospital supplies. That's what Dr. Michele Manos, a virologist and epidemiologist, told the Star in the podcast, "The Point Being." duct.

6:15 a.m.: A second known death from the coronavirus was reported Thursday by Pima County health officials. On the same day, the US total of COVID-19 cases topped the rest of the world, according to Johns Hopkins University tally. The study says there are some 500,000 people worldwide who have contracted the coronavirus. The confirmed COVID-19 tally in Arizona reached 500 cases Thursday, with 8 deaths statewide and 75 cases in Pima County, the state Health Services department reported Thursday. The number of COVID-19 cases are expected to keep rising as more people in the state are tested.

4:09 p.m.: The Pima County Sheriff’s Office closed the front lobbies of its headquarters building, records unit and patrol district offices, including the Ajo, Foothills, Green Valley, Rincon, San Xavier and Tucson Mountain District offices. Those offices are providing services by phone or electronically, the department said in a news release. The lobbies for the civil unit, forensics unit, vehicle impound unit and the property and evidence unit will remain open, the department said.

3:50 p.m.: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base reported its first case of COVID-19 on base. Officials at D-M said a civil servant assigned to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group is undergoing observation and treatment following a positive test result for the virus.

6:30 a.m.: A Tucson family is grieving the city's first known fatality from COVID-19, a 54-year-old wife and mom who became ill in mid-March and died within an hour of getting to the hospital. Family members share her story with Star reporter Jasmine Demers, saying they hope it it will make others in the community realize the seriousness of the virus outbreak. As known coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 401 Wednesday, Dr. Cara Christ, the state's chief health official, says COVID-19 cases in Arizona will continue to rise at least into April. And 'peak hospitalizations,' the doctor said, will be in May.

6:30 p.m: The Pima County jail has closed its front desk to the public to protect the staff and inmates from the coronavirus, the sheriff's department said Wednesday. The department is also closing the Mission Road Minimum Security Facility front desk. Visits with inmates can be done through an internet-based visitation system and inmates are being allowed two five-minute phone calls per week. The jail is also working to allow inmates to use a messaging app to send emails to family and friends for free, the department said in a news release.

9:49 a.m.: Santa Cruz County Health Services reported a second case of COVID-19 in their county Wednesday. The person is recovering at home. Santa Cruz County Health Services is working to identify any close contacts that may have been exposed to recommend they self-isolate and self-monitor for any fever and respiratory symptoms based on CDC guidelines.

6:30 a.m.: Gov. Ducey this week released his list of 'essential services,' which would be allowed to continue if he issues a stay-at-home order for Arizonans. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero called his list "too broad" and other critics say his new order would limit what local leaders can do during the pandemic. Meanwhile state leaders passed a measure that will help Arizona renters affected by COVID-19 keep a roof over their head, at least through most of July. And local utilities say they're temporarily halting service shutoffs.

Here's a roundup of local and state developments related to the coronavirus outbreak from Wednesday's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

1:15 p.m.: Governor's office and Arizona Department of Education announce plan to work with local schools to offer childcare for front-line workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak.

12:03 p.m.: The Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, can provide immediate counseling to anyone who is seeking help in coping with the mental or emotional effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The helpline is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week free resource that responds to people who need crisis counseling and support. The helpline is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

6:00 a.m.: The first confirmed COVID-19 death was announced Monday evening by Pima County health officials as more testing expanded the number of known virus cases here and across the state. Arizona updates its tally of COVID-19 cases each day on the state Health Services website.

Meanwhile, University of Arizona scientists are making thousands of COVID-19 test kits that can be used locally.

Here's a roundup of local virus-related news from today's edition of the Arizona Daily Star:

• A winter visitor who is recovering from pneumonia is stuck in Tucson because he can't get a COVID-19 test that could clear him for a medical flight back home to Canada.

• Gov. Ducey released a list of 'essential services' that would leave workers in those fields free to travel in case he declares a 'shelter-in-place' order.

• State lawmakers passed a contingency budget. It includes $50 million Ducey can spend to help services and people affected by the pandemic. GOP leaders however blocked an effort to add money to help Arizonans who lose their job or can't work during the outbreak.

4:13 p.m.: Arizona lawmakers approved a $11.8 billion contingency state budget. It includes $50 million for Gov. Ducey to use programs that help Arizonans economically affected by COVID-19. House Republicans, however, blocked a proposal to provide additional cash benefits to those who have been fired, laid off, furloughed or cannot go to work because of the pandemic.

• Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Arizona topped 100 on Saturday — there were a dozen known cases in Pima County. Star columnist Tim Steller, however, explains in today's edition why those numbers don't show how widespread coronavirus is in the community. Meanwhile, the economic impact of coronavirus on Tucson's economy is coming into focus: it's not good and could last months. Some good news: many businesses here are hiring right now.

4 p.m.: The Pima County Treasurer’s office will only allow visits by appointment starting Monday. Tax payments can be made online, by mail or through their bank’s online bill pay systems. To set an appointment to visit the office, call 520-724-8351.

• Arizona Motor Vehicle Division is limiting office visits to people who have set appointments starting Monday. A new statewide customer service line, 602-712-2700, will be available between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to assist people who need to access MVD services remotely or need to set appointments.

11 a.m: If you've been laid off due to the economic effects of COVID-19 or you know someone who was, you might want to bookmark this helpful list of Arizona companies hiring right now. It includes jobs available by city, including in Tucson. It was last updated on March 20.

• Two virologists at the University of Arizona explain how coronavirus spreads and why isolation is necessary with examples like this: "each person who gets COVID-19 will infect 2 or 3 people. Therefore, if one infected person causes two new cases, this results in four more, then 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 1,012, 2,048, 5,096, 10,192 and so forth."

5:00 p.m.: Friday, March 20 — Tucson Symphony Orchestra on Friday suspended the rest of its 2019-20 season including the behemoth Mahler Resurrection Symphony that was to close the season. The move came two weeks after the orchestra cancelled its March 13 and 15 Barber Violin Concerto concerts featuring violinist Paul Huang.

4:52 p.m.: After confirming thefirst positive case of COVID-19 in Cochise County, the City of Sierra Vista is implementing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s executive order to limit restaurant service to dine-out only and to close bars, gyms, and movie theaters. Mayor Rick Mueller will be signing the order by the close of business, Friday. The order will be effective at 2:00 a.m. Saturday, the city said in a news release.

4:51 p.m.: Santa Cruz Valley Regional Hospital along with all other hospitals in Arizona are suspending all elective surgeries after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order calling for the delay in “non-essential or elective surgeries” on Thursday. The recommendations come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in order to conserve key medical supplies and staff and restrict the spread of the virus.

3:00 p.m.: Oro Valley announced the lobbies of all Town buildings will be closed to the general public starting Monday, March 23. Oro Valley staff will still be providing service to residents by phone, email and online. The move comes after Gov. Doug Ducey activated the National Guard to restock grocery store shelves, halted all elective surgeries and closed all bars, gyms and movie theaters in any county with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The closure does not apply to the Oro Valley Police Department nor the Oro Valley Magistrate Court, which will remain open for public access, with some limitations. Find details on the court limitations here.

Other Town of Oro Valley cancellations include:

• All Town of Oro Valley board and commission meetings (through April 30)

12:00 p.m.: Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation is canceling most of its department-organized events and activities. The department's natural resources, urban and river parks are expected to stay open, though some facilities may have varying hours. Click here for more information.

8:10 a.m.: Visitors will no longer be allowed in any Banner Health locations, which include hospitals, clinics, surgery centers and urgent cares. Exceptions at hospitals include pediatric patients who can have one adult visitor and laboring mothers who can have one support person. Exceptions at other locations include pediatric patients and people with physical or cognitive limitations or disabilities and require support.

• The YMCA here is offering emergency child care to first responders and healthcare workers in the medical field.

• Tucson Premium Outlets, the big outdoor shopping center along Interstate-10 in Marana, closed at least through March 29. Here's information about small business loans and here's a growing list of resources for workers who suddenly are unemployed.

• Arizona lawmakers are getting to adopting a no-growth budget to keep Arizona government operating during the pandemic.

• Editor Jill Jorden Spitz explains how journalists at the Arizona Daily Star are working hard to report and inform readers about effects the coronavirus is having on the community without without trying to scare people or sensationalize the news.

Thursday, March 19:

4:42 p.m.: The Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council has declared a tribal emergency and is limiting and suspending some programs and services until further notice. The Liogue Senior Center, Ili U’usim Mahtawa’po Headstart and the Dr. Fernando Escalante Library at the Itom Mahtawa’po Education Center, will all be closed. Dental services are limited to emergencies and extractions only. The Wellness Center will be closed starting March 23. The tribe is temporarily suspending weekly health transportation services from Guadalupe to Pascua. The Dia de los Ninos celebration and tribal-sponsored meetings will be postponed.

3:58 p.m.: Sahuarita’s Anamax Recreation Center will be temporarily closed starting at 5 p.m Friday as part of the town's effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. The town will also not be taking park reservations, and the Sahuarita Unified School District has canceled reservations for fields.

3:22 p.m.: Southern Arizona Goodwill locations will remain open for now but with temporary hours. Goodwill is also enhancing its cleaning measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Donation centers will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Store hours will be 10 a.m .to 6 p.m. starting Friday at Casa Grande and starting Sunday at all other locations. Goodwill's outlet location on East Irvington Road and South Campbell Avenue will limit occupancy and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Honea’s emergency declaration goes a step further than the county and city, however: he also is ordering all beauty salons, barbershops and nail salons closed until March 31 — the same date set by the city and county — at which time they will reassess based on the health situation.

8:30 a.m.: TUSD governing board approved a plan at an emergency board meeting Wednesday to deliver food to kids at 113 locations, starting March 23; continue to employee all regular employees despite the closures; and to launch a virtual learning program, hopefully by April 1.

Temporary shut downs Wednesday marked another day of Tucsonans trying to cope with the spread of coronavirus. Workers across the city are fretting about suddenly losing their jobs and a Tucson man tested positive for COVID-19 after playing in a big bridge tournament here. Here's a rundown of local virus-related news:

• Adele Barker, a former UA professor of of Russian and Slavic studies, shares what it was like to shop during the scarcity of food in the Soviet Union during the 1970s and 1980s.

Wednesday, March 18:

7:06 p.m.: The Tucson Convention Center donated perishable food and drinks valued at around $700 to the Gospel Rescue Mission after they had to postpone events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation included two cases of potatoes, three cases of liquid eggs and one case of shelled eggs, seven pounds of provolone cheese, three pounds of Swiss cheese, and four cases of orange juice.

6:42 p.m.: To prepare for a potential adverse financial impact from COVID-19, Pima County administrator Chuck Huckelberry announced Wednesday that all employee hiring within the county is suspended.

"For departments who have scheduled or completed interviews and made employment offers, these should continue. All pending new job requisitions will be placed on hold," the memo said.

6:29 p.m.: Starting Thursday, Cardenas will reserve its first hour of shopping for Seniors and first responders, joining a handful of grocery stores that have changed their policy to support the shopping needs of older adults. Seniors and first responders can shop between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. every day. The store, with a Tucson location at West Irvington Road and South 16th Avenue, will be open to the general public from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

5:52 p.m.:The Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Tucson is closed while employees and volunteers spend 14 days working from home. An employee at the center was experiencing some symptoms of coronavirus, though the employee has not been deemed "presumptive" or "confirmed" to have the virus.

5:48 p.m.: Desert Diamond Casinos are closed temporarily to fight the COVID-19 spread, officials said. The closure, which started late Wednesday, affects casino locations in Tucson, Sahuarita, Why/Ajo and the tribe's West Valley casino in Glendale.

6:25 a.m.: This Is Tucson is keeping a list of places to find free food for kids during school closures.

6:05 a.m.: On Tuesday afternoon, as bars across Tucson were getting ready for a night of St. Patrick's Day revelry, Mayor Regina Romero ordered them shut by 8 p.m., instituting the most sweeping restrictions on restaurants and many other businesses here that attract crowds. It was the most visible local effort to fight the spread of the the coronavirus on another day marked by multiple closures across the city. Here's a roundup of new coronavirus news in Tucson:

4:43 p.m.: All local Social Security offices will be closed to the public for in-person service. the Social Security Administration is encouraging people to access services online.

4:01 p.m.: The Tohono O’odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum will be closed until further notice due to coronavirus.

3:45 p.m.: The DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is temporarily closed. "In an effort to be proactive in the face of the spread of COVID-19 and in keeping with ADHS and CDC guidelines, we are temporarily closing until April 1, 2020," the museum said in a statement.

3:40 p.m.: The 89-year-old Arizona Inn is closed for the first time since 1971 — with a tentative reopening date of May 1 — in "a wrenching thing to have to do," says its president Will Conroy.

3:35 p.m.: Oro Valley Parks and Recreation facilities will close and programs will be canceled starting Wednesday, the city announced Tuesday.

2:00 p.m.: Four airlines are suspending or reducing flights or ending seasonal flights early at Tucson International Airport due to declining reservations and coronavirus concerns, the Tucson Airport Authority said Tuesday.

Allegiant Air is suspending all of its Tucson service from mid-April to early June, and American, Delta and Frontier are also cutting flights, TIA said.

12:59 p.m.: Pima County Consolidated Justice Court is asking anyone who is ill, has recently traveled, is 65 or older, or whose health is compromised not to go to court. Those scheduled for a hearing can request a continuance by filing a motion on the court website at jp.pima.gov, emailing customerservice@jp.pima.gov, or calling 520-724-3171.

Night Court on March 25th has been canceled. Most court hearings will be reset and the court will mail people to notify them of a new hearing date.

The court is asking people to make payments online at www.jp.pima.gov or contact the court to make a payment telephone.

Already scheduled courthouse weddings will proceed through the end of this week. Starting Monday, March 23, wedding ceremonies will be discontinued for at least two weeks. Contact the court at 520-724-3505 to schedule a private wedding.

12:37 p.m.: Marana police will start taking reports over the phone when a call is not high priority to limit one-on-one interaction and slow the spread of COVID-19, the department said Tuesday.

The changes will not impact emergency incidents where a crime is in progress or there is a danger to someone’s safety, the Marana Police Department said. When responding to high priority situations, officers may be wearing protective masks and gloves.

The department is also asking residents to call their non-emergency number 520-382-2000 rather than visiting the department if they need assistance in a non-urgent matter. For emergencies, they are asking residents to continue calling 911.

10:35 a.m.: The Pima County Sheriff’s Department Auxiliary Volunteers, a nonprofit that provides support services to the department, has suspended non-critical operations amid coronavirus concerns, including the dispose-a-med program and fingerprinting services for the public. The program will continue to respond to “call-outs to support deputies and detectives during major incidents and at crime scenes.”

9:55 a.m.: To support the shopping needs of older adults, all Bashas', Food City and AJ's grocery stores will open from 5 to 6 a.m. on Wednesdays for anyone 65 years or older. The special shopping hours start this week on Wednesday, March 18. Shoppers can be accompanied by one caretaker if needed, but caretakers cannot shop for themselves. Shoppers will be required to show a valid I.D. at the door and all purchase limitations will remain in effect. Bashas’ reservation stores will be open from 6 to 7 a.m. for those 65-and-up.

Flowing Wells School District: Anyone 18 or younger can grab a to-go breakfast and lunch at all schools in the Flowing Wells School District today and at limited schools the rest of the week, with schools to be announced this afternoon. Both breakfast and lunch can be picked up in one trip, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and between noon and 1 p.m..

Altar Valley School District: Breakfast and lunch will be served for kids ages 18 and under through March 27. Breakfast will be served from 7:30-9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Robles Elementary School, 9875 S. Sasabe Road.

Sunnyside Unified School District: Schools are offering a grab-and-go breakfast and lunch to all children ages 1 to 18, starting March 23. Pick up is from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Meals must be picked up and eaten at home. Both breakfast and lunch can be picked up in one trip.

Amphitheater Public Schools: All children ages 0 to 18 can pick up free grab-and-go meals at Amphitheater Public Schools locations, from March 23 through Friday, March 27 (or until the end of school closures). Pick up is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drive through service and a walk up option will be available. Kids must be present when meals are being picked up. There are no income requirements and no registration is required.

Tucson Unified School District: Starting on Monday, March 23, TUSD plans to offer grab-and-go meals at 32 locations. All children ages 0 to 18 will be able to pick up a hot lunch meal and a breakfast for the following day Monday through Friday. The meals will be distributed via drive through service and all children must be present at pick up. The district says it will release more details today, March 17 and the plan will be voted on at the next governing board meeting on Wednesday, March 18.

8 a.m.: "Health Protection Condition Bravo" has commenced at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. "The health of our Airmen, families and community partners remains our top priority, and this is a prudent measure taken to help minimize the potential spread of the virus at Davis-Monthan and within the county," a news release said.

"Health Protection Condition Bravo" includes guidelines such as strict hygiene, covering mouths and noses with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, staying home when sick, practicing social distancing and the cancellation of large events.

6:40 a.m.: Lee Lambert, the chancellor of Pima Community College, cited worries about a virus exposure in deciding to temporarily close up shop, limiting services to online. The school will be closed through March 27.

6:36 a.m.: The mayor in Flagstaff limited restaurants to offering to-go service, and bars, theaters, fitness centers and indoor recreation facilities will be closed over concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus. Making restaurants switch to take-out has been floated in Tucson.

6:00 a.m.: On Monday a veteran who lives in Tucson was identified as the fourth confirmed case of COVID-19, and amid a new flurry of closures and postponements of public events across the community due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here's a quick recap of local news related to the virus outbreak:

• Some business leaders have warmed up to the idea of making local restaurants switch to take-out only.

• Tucson shut down its recreation centers and pools and Catholic Masses are temporarily canceled.

5:10 p.m.: Saguaro National Park will close both visitor centers and all scheduled programming starting Tuesday, March 17, and for at least the next 15 days, in both its east and west units.

5:06 p.m.: U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., will host a telephone town hall Tuesday, March 17, at 11:30 a.m., "to provide an update on the novel coronavirus outbreak, provide best practices, and answer questions."

Arizonans can join the town hall by calling 855-531-1067 at the time of the event or by texting “SenMcSally” (one word) to 828282 to get registered for the event.

4:45 p.m.: All Episcopal services are canceled until at least April 20 in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, Bishop Jennifer Reddall announced.

4:35 p.m.: Sierra Vista is canceling or postponing community events and closing some public facilities. See www.SierraVistaAZ.gov and follow the link to “Combating coronavirus” for details.

4:30 p.m.: Pima Community College has suspended face-to-face student and public services through March 27.

4:15 p.m.: Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger announced that there will no longer be public masses at Tucson Roman Catholic Diocese churches, including Sunday mass, after today and through at least April 6. Also, he said weddings and funeral Masses should be restricted to 10 people, and no public church events or gatherings should be held.

4:10 p.m.:Beginning Tuesday, March 17, all 17 city of Tucson recreation centers and aquatics facilities, including four year-round pools, will be closed through March. Aquatics, youth programs (SchoolzOut Camps, InBetweeners Club and KIDCO) and senior programming will also be canceled during this time.

4:05 p.m.: All Catholic schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson will have spring break March 16-27. Independently operated Catholic schools, such as Salpointe and San Miguel high schools, have instituted their own schedules. Please check their websites. Principals will communicate with their school communities on specifics of each campus.

3:45 p.m.: Effective Tuesday, the Tucson Museum of Art will be temporarily closed to the public. The closure includes the cancelations or postponements of events, tours, lectures and other programs.

7:30 a.m.: The Loft Cinema is temporarily closing until at least March 31 "out of caution and concern for our staff, patrons, and volunteers," according to a statement.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that COVID-19 (coronavirus) poses a real risk to our community’s health, and we cannot in good conscience continue to stay open," the statement reads, adding that the company had recently implemented reduced seating and showtimes, in addition to other precautionary measures. The Loft Cinema's staff will be "fully paid during this time and maintain current health benefits."

7:00 a.m.: The city's SchoolzOut Camps will open this morning as planned at 13 sites across Tucson, officials say. However, officials say they will keep evaluating whether to keep it open depending on developments in the virus pandemic.

Also, parents should expect changes to how the camps run, like those with more than 50 children being broken up into small groups. Parents who feel uncomfortable sending their enrolled kids to SchoolzOut can call 520-791-4877 for refund information.

6:25 a.m.: The Pinal County Fair decided over the weekend to cancel. The fair was scheduled to begin next week.

6:20 a.m.: State election officials say voting Tuesday will be safe for voters worries about coronavirus spread. However, emergency voting is available in Pima County now.

6:00 a.m.: Here's a quick way to catch up on news from Tucson and around the state to get ready for this week's fight against the spread of coronavirus:

• Mayor Regina Romero is hand-picking business and community leaders to invite to a brainstorming meeting today on how the city can help them with the financial hit from the pandemic. The mayor said she'd share what was said after the closed-door meeting;

Tanque Verde governing board, whose spring break was scheduled to begin March 23, voted to begin the break immediately at a March 15 special board meeting, following guidance from the Center for Disease Control to align their break with other community groups.

3 p.m.: Khalsa Montessori extends spring break by two weeks

Charter school Khalsa Montessori, which was set to return from spring break on March 16, decided during an emergency board meeting on Sunday to extend the spring break by two weeks due to uncertainty related to the potential spread of COVID-19.

There will be no classes this week. Mandatory online classes will begin Monday, March 23 and run through April 10, when Easter break begins, the school said in a notice to parent and students Sunday.

"After consulting with many health officials, we feel this difficult decision is in the best interest and well being of our students, families, faculty and staff," the school said in a written statement.

The school said it hopes to resume traditional classes April 20, following Easter break.

2:40 p.m.:Old Pueblo Gymnastics Academy, 7670 East Wrightstown Road, notified members it was suspending classes. The school said it would reassess March 23.

8:45 a.m.: 2 Tucson City Council members to take call-in coronavirus questions

Two members of the Tucson City Council plan to take phone calls Monday to answer local questions about coronavirus and how it's affecting daily life here.

Councilmembers Steve Kozachik and Nikki Lee was be joined by a representative from the Pima County health department, Kozachik says.

"I don't know the questions people have - that's a part of the point of doing this," Kozachik said in a written statement Saturday night announcing the plans. "(Questions from callers) will help to inform how the City needs to respond to this situation."

The call in number is 520-222-1500. The phone bank will run from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 16, Kozachik says.

6:25 a.m.:Saint Philip's in the Hills is offering two ways online to worship today online, at 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Follow this link to livestream the services.

6:20 a.m.: Those long lines at warehouse stores like Costco and empty shelves at grocery stores has the state's top prosecutor saying it might be time for Arizona lawmakers to consider adopting laws to protect Arizona consumers from price gouging.

6:00 a.m.: Star columnist Tim Steller's trip to New York City started off as a wonderful adventure — biking in Central Park, tooling around the city, seeing a Broadway show. Overnight the effort to limit the spread of coronavirus hit.

Saturday, March 14:

9:00 p.m.: The spring SAHBA Home Show, set for April 3-4 at the Tucson Convention center has been "postponed indefinitely," the Southern Arizona Homebuilders Association said on the show's Facebook page.

On Wednesday, the school is set to resume classes, almost entirely online, after spring break last week. The campus will reopen to students who do not have another suitable place to live and for students moving out.

6:19 p.m.:The NCAA is granting an extra year of eligibility to athletes affected by the coronavirus cancellations, and Arizona Wildcats softball coach Mike Candrea says he's "thrilled" by the news.

2:18 p.m.: The Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN) is asking the community to donate hygiene items for people living with HIV, including liquid hand soap, disinfecting wipes, facial tissue, and hand sanitizer, in response to concerns over COVID-19.

Donations can be dropped off at the TIHAN office, 2660 N. 1st Ave., between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.

1 p.m.: The Pac-12 Conference today pulled the plug in all spring sports through the end of the school year. The decision Saturday put an end to the UA baseball and softball team's promising seasons. Also over: the UA women's and men's golf teams, and both men's and women's track and field programs.

12:37 p.m.: As of Saturday morning, 183 people had been tested by the state health lab: 12 were positive; 50 were pending; and 121 were negative, according to The state Department of Health Service. The state now has 12 cases of COVID-19.

12:30 p.m.: Live Theatre Workshop has canceled remaining showings of "Radiant Vermin," and postponed the special guest performance of Fin. The opening of The Old Ball Game has been postponed to May 17, Michael A. Martinez, the theatre's executive director said.

Student classes and performances have also been canceled or postponed through April 1st. For more information visit livetheatreworkshop.org.

7 a.m.: Tucson Improv Movement is canceling all shows through March 25, according to an announcement on their Facebook page.

"We didn’t make this decision lightly, but want to be a part of the solution in slowing the spread of COVID-19. We don't know what the future of this pandemic will look like and want to do all we can to keep our community safe," the announcement said.

The improv theatre is also canceling all classes and rehearsals.

7 a.m.: San Miguel Catholic High School announced it is taking precautionary measures in light of coronavirus by transitioning all academic programs to remote teaching and learning and our Corporate Work-Study Program (CWSP) to remote tasks until April 14. The school issued a letter Friday providing a guide to students and parents for remote learning. The high school's campus will remain open for limited business operations, the letter said.

7 a.m.: Arizona Department of Corrections jails, prisons and reentry and rehabilitation centers statewide suspended visitation for 30 days Friday evening. Pima County jail and correctional facilities have not changed their policies as all visitation is done via video.

7 a.m.: The Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona will be closed until the end of the semester, Anne Breckenridge Barrett, the center's director said. The closure includes galleries, programs, events, and research spaces.

The decision was made in line with public heath guidelines regarding the novel coronavirus and procedures determined by the UA, the director said.

Friday, March 13:

The individual, along with their household contacts, are currently in at-home isolation. It is still unknown how the person contracted the virus and officials are working to investigate whether their exposure was travel related or due to community spread.

5:30 p.m.: Biosphere 2, a major tourism attraction near Oracle north of Tucson, closes to the public until further notice.

4:20 p.m.: Storytime with Paddington events at the University of Arizona Bookstore were canceled, citing recent developments of the COVID-19 virus. The events had been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.

3:45 p.m.: The monster truck show set for next weekend at the Tucson Convention Center has been postponed.

Citing worries about spreading the COVID-19 virus and travel restrictions, the city on Friday said in a news release that the three-day event is off for now. It was scheduled from March 20 through March 22 at Tucson Arena.

A new date for the Monster Jam event has not been set. Tickets for the canceled show will be honored at the rescheduled event, the city says.

Contact Ticketmaster Customer Service online at www.ticketmaster.com or 800-653-8000 for refund information.

2:20 p.m.: The Tucson Hip Hop Festival, originally scheduled for March 27-29, has been postponed to October, "in light of recent developments," according to their Facebook page. The new festival date is Saturday, October 17. All pre-sold tickets for the March event will be honored at the October event.

Other recent closures:

MOCA postpones, cancels events

Tucson's MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) is postponing or canceling all education and public programs until further notice, the museum announced in a press release Thursday. The museum said it will "keep the Museum open to our visitors as long as it is safe to do so."

Oro Valley cancels March events

The town canceled these events:

• Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch, Saturday, March 14

• Public Art Tour, Tuesday, March 17

• Bike/Swap/Sell, March 28

The March 18 and April 1 Town Council meetings will proceed but in-person attendance will not be allowed. Resident participation will be limited to online video streaming of the meeting at www.orovalleyaz.gov.

TSO suspends March performances

All performances of Tucson Symphony Orchestra from March 13 through March 31 will be suspended. These include “Barber Violin Concerto” on March 13 and 15, “American Soundtrack” on March 21-22, a documentary film showing about the Young Composers Project on March 24, and “Bravo! An Admission-Free Concert” on March 27.

Arizona Theatre Co. suspends production

Arizona Theatre Co. has put the Tucson production of The Legend of Georgia McBride on hiatus starting Saturday, March 14 through the end of the month.

In addition, all ATC education programming in Tucson and Phoenix will be paused through the end of the month.

ATC hopes to make a digital recording of The Legend of Georgia McBride available to ticketed patrons at a later date. "If you hold tickets to a canceled performance we will be in touch shortly about details," ATC said in a news release Friday.

The Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA) announced:

• Postponed, will be rescheduled: Sahuarita Creative Arts Festival in Sahuarita, March 14-15, postponed until a date yet to be rescheduled.

• Still scheduled to take place: Oro Valley Festival of the Arts, March 28-29; and Sabrosita Sahuarita, April 24.

Tucson educators jump into action to keep families afloat during the coronavirus school closures and economic devastation, providing computers, food, tech support and even covering electric and water bills.